A Father's Pride, A Mother's Joy
by VioletLites
Summary: Marcel grew up in the Mikaelson household with Klaus as a father figure, Elijah as a teacher, and Rebekah as his first love. But the maternal figure in his life came in the kind embrace of Julia Rochelle. Of course, co-parenting was never going to be Klaus's strong suit, and Julia knows she'll have to be clever to keep up with the man who fancies himself a king.
1. Chapter 1: The Family We Choose

**Greetings! This idea wouldn't leave my head so I thought I'd share. I would ****appreciate**** any feedback as I haven't yet decided whether or not I will continue this story. Thank you!**

**(Alternate Description: Julia Rochelle, a maid in the Mikaelson household in the early days of their residency in New Orleans, takes in young Marcellus as her own in order to instill within him a sense of camaraderie and humanity. Cursed or gifted with the ability to see the past and future, the young seer is determined that the young man will have as normal a childhood as she can provide.)**

I cannot say I ever had a traditional family. My relations have always been a patchwork quilt of gifted loyalty and often grudging respect. I suppose it shouldn't surprise me that I kept with the non-tradition and continued to build a family on a foundation of choices rather than blood. "The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb." It pains me to hear that phrase in its butchered state.

I was seventeen when the stitching came undone on that first patchwork quilt of a home. There was nothing but broken threads and nowhere to turn so I ran. I ran to a growing city farther to the south, determined to disappear and live an unassuming life. What I found in New Orleans was unexpected.

A young woman who couldn't be much older than me, with hair like sunlight and eyes that looked to know the worst kind of pain bumped into me on the semi crowded street in the heart of the city.

"Oh! Pardon me."

"No problem," I muttered in a daze as she hurried onwards, barely sparing me a glace. But a single touch and the metallic taste of blood filled my mouth and my mind exploded in pain. I saw the young woman in my minds eye. I felt heaviness in my stomach as I saw the world through her eyes. It burned and itched and every color was spectacularly bright and in sharp focus.

The vision ended as suddenly as it began and I was back to myself again. Quietly I walked among the citizens. I was curious if I could find answers. It didn't take me long to overhear bits and pieces from some of the more elite. The rich and powerful seemed to be hiding the secrets of the people they called monsters. The woman, Rebekah as I learn her name to be, was no monster like they wanted to paint. I was her in those few moments. I felt her pain and loneliness as keenly as I would my own. But there was hope in her too.

That night I slept heavily, but restlessly. I knew the dreams would come. They tend to come in places heavy with history. And while this place was still young in the grand scheme of things, there were a few residents who were very much not as young as they might have appeared.

The dreams were painful in their deep seeded emotion filled glory. I could feel the betrayal of scorned love. This Rebekah desperately wanted to be loved and it was this deep need that drove her in many ways. It is the main impression that her contact with me left me with, and so it is what my third eye chose to focus on.

With it I could see her brothers. I could see her past loves, and for better or worse, I could see a future love as well.

I cannot say what drove me to do what I did next. I cannot explain the motivations I had when I decided that my next course of action was going to be learning more of this family. Perhaps I could stack it up as a morbid curiosity. Perhaps it was because I had nothing to lose. Perhaps it was because I was lonely and despite them being dysfunctional, dysfunction was the only family I had known.

Even so, I inserted myself into their household near effortlessly. It did not take long to ascertain that they, or at least the brother called Klaus, fancied themselves royalty in this place. As such, they could not be bothered with trivial things such as keeping a home clean. And despite their thirst for blood, they did seem to enjoy keeping a cook or two for the finer sides of cuisine. As such, it was a simple task to enter their house and make myself at home cleaning their floors.

None of them seemed to notice my sudden appearance. As time marched on it was easy to see why. Every once in awhile one of them would bring someone home and compel them to work. Often they wouldn't even discuss these new workers. They would come and go like a revolving door of servants, unnoticed and unchecked. Thus I don't believe I was even given a second glance, each believing it was one of the others who brought me in.

I studied and I paid attention. I remained alert in my new home. While dangerous, it was comfortable. I had a place to sleep, and plenty to eat, and plenty to do. Honestly, I don't think it would be possible to be bored. In quiet moments I could find time to read in the extensive library that Elijah was building. I also found the politics interesting when the siblings discussed it in the study. Often I would dust and listen as they spoke (argued) in the study.

Inevitably, a day comes where I am genuinely afraid. Klaus becomes hungry and angry and it is not a good combination. Three of the servants are drained in front of me and I realize that if I had been just a little to the left, it would've been me.

It takes everything in me not to take an involuntary step back when his veined eyes turn to me. "Are you afraid?" he hisses.

I nod my head slightly in response.

"Good. Clean up this mess." He then stormed out of the room leaving me shaking and wondering why on earth I thought this was a good idea.

I send a couple of the male servants out to bury the bodies as respectfully as they can and get down on my hands and knees to scrub the blood from the floor. Rebekah enters then but she doesn't seem to see me. Her eyes are vacant and her face is streaked with tears. She seems hollow when she grabs a glass and the brandy bottle and sits in the window.

I put down my task and rush over before the bottle slips from her hand. She sobs violently and leans into me unconsciously, hiding her face in my skirt. With my free hand I stroke her head and say nothing. When her tears begin to slow, I reach for the glass and pour a few fingers, gingerly handing it over for her to drink.

"Thank you," she says without looking up.

"You're welcome." She looks at me then and I give her my softest smile.

"He killed him," she says in a shaky voice. "I loved him and he killed him."

It takes but a moment for me to decide to pour a glass for myself before sitting with her. "I'm assuming you're talking about Klaus and the mayor's son." She looks questioning at me. "He's been coming around to see you lately, and your brother just killed three people in this kitchen not long ago," I respond gesturing to the blood still staining the floor.

"You knew he'd been visiting me?"

"No offense dear, but one does feel a need to pay attention when living with vampires. Although...I don't think any amount of paying attention will protect me from being in the wrong place at the wrong time. I could've easily died today." I didn't mean to say that out loud. But what's done is done.

"Nik really must learn to control his temper," is all she says in response to that. "I'm sorry. I don't even know who you are? Did one of my brothers take you in?"

"My name is Julia. And ultimately I'm here of my own free will."

"Why? If you can leave why don't you? Especially after today?"

"I don't have anywhere else to go." I take a sip of my drink. "And besides. I'm not afraid of dying. I'm more afraid of living a boring or worthless life."

"I suppose we are nothing if not interesting."

"Quite."

The conversation lulls after that. When the drinks are finished I put the glasses away. "Thank you for talking with me Julia. You're possibly the most patient person I've ever met."

I pick up my rags and water bucket to start back in on the floor. "I don't know about that. But thank you for being accepting of me. I trust you won't tell your brother that I've basically invaded your home?" Truthfully I am very nervous about it, and worried that I said far too much.

"Nonsense. When I think about it, I've been seeing you work hard around here for months. You'd be hard to replace. Besides...us girls gotta stick together." She smiles at me then, and I know that despite it all, she and I might become an unorthodox set of friends.

"Thank you Rebekah. Just let me know if you need anything."

"I will." And then she is gone, and I am left to the floor.

A few days pass and I barely catch glimpses of any of my benefactors. That is until Rebekah sends for me and asks for my help with her hair. "It's his funeral today and I don't think I can manage on my own."

I can tell that she is distraught. They will be burying someone she loved today. Someone that her brother killed. So I help her and send her on her way with a warm embrace. "It'll be ok. After today it can only get easier."

"Thank you, Julia." As she pulls away she squeezes my hand once before departing and I feel a wave of energy rush through my mind. I see the handsome face of a dark skinned man and I know that today is important. Something about today is important. I can feel it deep in my bones in a way that I haven't ever before.

Several hours pass and I feel the anticipation lurking in me. When Klaus strides into the kitchen filled with pride and a young boy around ten years old trailing behind him, all of my pent up energy releases and I breathe a sigh of relief, although I'm not certain why.

"Are you hungry Marcellus?"

"Yes, sir," the boy responds meekly.

"Good then. You." Klaus turns to me. "I'll need to make up something extra special for this one. He's hungry."

I'm taken aback by the genuine smile on his face. It softens him somehow. Makes him seem more human, down to earth, and almost kind, in a mischievous way. I nod my head and usher the boy, Marcellus, into the kitchen.

His eyes dart around the room and he moves slowly when he sits down at the table. He seems a bit skittish, unsure what is going on in this new place. I put together a sandwich as I watch him from the corner of my eye. As I place it in front of him his eyes bulge and he looks at me in awe. "Is...is this all for me?" comes the tentative question.

My heart breaks a little in that moment. "Yes it is," I smile softly. I sit with him as I set down a glass of milk for him and begin to sip on my own mug of tea. "Go on. Eat what you can."

He digs in with gusto. "Whoa there. Slow down or you'll make yourself sick. You still have to breathe."

He looks at me sheepishly and swallows. "Sorry." He pauses and looks thoughtful. "Are you the housekeeper?"

I laugh. "I suppose I am. My name is Julia. Though no one here really has any titles. What about you Marcellus? Where do you come from?"

"The plantation. They were burying my brother today," he says nearly void of emotion.

I look at him in surprise. "Ah. They mayor's son then. What about your mother?"

"The sickness took her. The man who brought me here said I could be free here. He even gave me a name. He said Marcellus means little warrior."

I glace involuntarily to the doorway as if I could see Klaus standing there. Who knew that the man could take such a liking to a child? I smile at the boy. "Well little warrior, if he says that you are free here, then you are free. The Mikaelson family can be a lot at times, but you mustn't let that scare you. All of them are particular about children. You won't be harmed. But just remember, if you need a human to talk to, I will always be here."

He nods his understanding and continues to devour his meal. My heart goes out to the child. I ask him more questions and he answers as if I may not really listen. I wonder if he's ever talked so much in his short life. The poor child lost his mother young, and had the misfortune of having a father who fancied himself a property owner more than a father. It is so despicable that it makes me sick.

I don't know whether to consider it lucky that Klaus took him in, or the greatest misfortune to befall anyone in this life. Perhaps it is out of the frying pan and into the fire. I'm not sure what the implications are for this child to be raised by a volatile vampire. A vampire with issues of his own as far as the relationship with his father is concerned.

I bite my lip in thought and look back at Marcellus. So young and with such potential. I feel it deep in my bones that he is special. That he is important. I shudder to think what he might become growing up in a family with barely any emotional control. Even the stoic Elijah is too concerned with his younger brother and pushes boundaries that should not be pushed. Not when there is a child here learning and growing. The poor thing hasn't any sort of stability and that concerns me.

"Marcellus," Klaus appears in the doorway and calls to the boy, who stands at attention quickly. "Come. I'll show you where you'll be staying."

The boy looks at me as he walks to the rather imposing man. "Thank you," he says. I nod at him and he walks out with Klaus' hand on his shoulder. I make a point not to make eye contact with him as he ushers his ward out. It is clear to me that he already fancies himself to be the boy's surrogate parent, and I can only hope that the job softens him a little more. The family could do with less contention.

That night I make a glass of warm milk and take it to the room that was obviously given to Marcellus. I knock softly and I can hear the pad of feet as he walks to the door before opening it slightly. When he sees me he opens it wider. "Can I come in?"

"Yes." He steps back and lets me enter, before closing the door behind me and walking back to the next I can see he's made on the floor.

"You don't want to sleep on the bed?" I ask.

"It's too soft. I don't think I could sleep on it."

"You're too used to a hard surface?" I guess.

"Mhm. And less blankets. They're too hot."

"Well. I'm sure it'll become easier over time. You may even find it comfortable." I kneel down next to him and hand him the glass of warm milk. "Here. Drink this. It'll calm you and help you to get some rest."

He takes it from me and holds it in both hands before looking up at me. "Julia? Do you think you can stay with me a little while?"

I smile and nod my consent. "I'll stay as long as you need me too."

We settle in together and he finishes his milk as I tell him happy stories from my childhood. I speak in soft tones and describe calm and peaceful things so that he doesn't have nightmares. Eventually, his breathing slows and I realize that he has fallen asleep with his head in my lap. I stroke his hair and smile down at him. He was obviously exhausted after the emotionally charged day.

I gently slip away and replace my lap with a pillow. I retrieve the glass and head to the door. Before closing it behind me, I pause and look at the sleeping child. "Goodnight Marcellus," I whisper, and then softly close the door behind me.


	2. Chapter 2: A Wish for a Rainy Day

**Hello everyone! Thank you for all the positive feedback I have gotten on this story so far. I have no idea where it's going at the moment but I'm enjoying the character of Julia so I shall continue for now. Please continue letting me know your thoughts and I am open to suggestions as that helps my creative juices to flow. Enjoy!**

I begin counting the days since Marcellus' arrival. Everyday, I make him breakfast. I ensure that he eats at lunchtime and that he has his fill of supper. I teach him to make cookies and he helps me with the dishes when he can. I show him the herb garden in the back of the house and teach him that hard work isn't a bad thing or a thing only for slaves to do. It is something that can help you find fulfillment and wonder in life. I teach him that hard work can get you everything you need or want.

I watch Klaus show him how to paint in the sunlight. While Marcellus enjoys it, he doesn't take to it as readily as someone more artistically inclined. It warms my heart when I see Marcellus laugh. I don't quite understand how Klaus can be this way and yet so hateful at the same time. He is a study of contradictions for me.

I can't quite believe it when a year is fast approaching, and yet it comes. A year to the day Marcellus came to the house I make him a cake and tell him to make a wish. "I don't know what to wish for Julia. I've been so lucky. There's nothing that I wish for."

I laugh at this and tap his nose with my index finger. "Well, you'll just have to save up your wish for a rainy day."

It doesn't surprise me as much as it would've a year ago when I discover that Klaus gifted Marcellus with a necklace later that day. Marcellus practically skips into the kitchen and proudly shows me. "Look what Klaus gave me Julia!"

"Oh my. How lovely!"

"It's a Starling. Klaus said that it was given to him by his mother when he was about my age. She was a witch, and she made it so that it could protect him."

I rub my thumb over the necklace and smile at the boy. "I guess now it can protect you. You must be sure not to lose it."

"I won't. I will keep it forever. I really will."

Elijah enters the room looking for the boy. "Marcel. Would you like to learn to play piano?"

"Really?!"

Elijah's normally stoic facade breaks ever so briefly and the hint of a smile can be seen on his face. "Of course. You are eleven years old after all. Practically a man. And every man should know how to play an instrument. Come."

He beckons Marcellus to follow him and I watch as he rushes off to learn the piano. I laugh to myself and shake my head in amusement. Perhaps my boy will have a welcoming childhood afterall.

Several months pass, and Marcellus is coming more and more out of his shell. He talks and talks about everything Elijah is teaching him. The books he's read and his progress on the piano and I can't help but smile at his infectious enthusiasm for learning the finer side of the arts.

But the more excited Marcellus becomes, and the more time he spends with Elijah, the more that Klaus becomes agitated, and tensions quickly rise in the house. It has been awhile since I've had a sense of impending doom in my third eye but I see it clear as day. Klaus' jealousy will break this family if he does not learn.

Inexplicably I have begun to care about that. It's not just Marcellus, although he brings me happiness I didn't think was possible. Rebekah is a kind friend and has given me her old garments to do with what I wish. She even gifted me with a special necklace, saying that it contained a special herb called vervain that would protect me from compulsion.

Elijah is loyal to a fault and although he doesn't realize I exist on most days, he is kind to me when he does see. Even Klaus has moments, usually when he's with Marcellus, where he looks warm and kind and dare I say loving.

But his emotions turn on a dime and they will be our downfall ...When I started thinking of myself as part of them I am unsure. And yet there it is.

I am horrified when Klaus, in his jealous rage, brings Kol back from his box in the attic. Rebekah had told me stories of their blood thirsty brother and I am afraid for Marcellus. And yet I am powerless to do anything to make a difference.

Kol corners me in the kitchen one night, pinning me down and staring deep into my eyes. His pupils dilate and his voice is smooth. "Hello darling. Now. You're going to join me and the rest of the household staff in the parlor for a bit of theater. We must educate the young Marcellus."

My heart is pounding as I understand he is trying to compel me. I clench my fists at my sides and resist the urge to reach for my necklace. Thank Rebekah for her foresight!

I do not have time to be afraid. Marcellus is in danger and I will not allow it. He is too important to me. I straighten myself up to be as tall as I can and I push back against Kol. He steps back in surprise rather than from my human strength.

"Do not mistake me for one of the household staff, Kol. This house would fall apart without my diligence. You can play your games without me. But do not think for one second that you will last long without my approval." I give him my best scowl and I march from the room with my head held high and a mind to find a way to get Marcellus out.

I run into Elijah first. "Elijah! Kol is playing a sick game in the parlor with the servants and forcing Marcellus to watch. You must do something. They are dying."

Elijah, looking alarmed, touches my shoulder, "I'll attend to it." He is gone in a flash and my hand rests over my heart to steady the fast beat.

Later that night, Marcellus comes to my quarters before I go to check on him. I open the door and take one look at his face before opening my arms to him. He rushes into me and shakes. He does not cry. He is too brave and too strong. I walk with him back to his room and sit with him awhile, holding his hand as he tells me what Kol did.

When he tells me that Kol fed him his vampire blood with the intent to turn him, I feel sick. In the back of mind I knew that eventually, one day, this precious child would be turned. He would become one of them. How could he not? Raised by vampires...what else could I expect? But not for an eleven year old boy. Never so young.

I wish I could say that was the worst thing that would happen to young Marcellus. But the next day is worse. He comes to the kitchen for dinner after I didn't see him all day. Klaus was rushing off with him, teaching and playing and doing all manner of things he could think of. When Marcellus sees me he runs to me. He nearly knocks me off my feet with the force but I catch us and I hold him.

He cries.

I hold him close and resist the urge to demand of him who hurt him so badly to make him cry. I had never seen him shed a tear. Not once. Not when his brother died. Not when I cleaned his cuts and bruises. Not when he spoke of his dead mother or his cruel father. Not even when Kol showed him horrors that no one could even imagine.

But I don't push him. I let him cry himself out before giving him warm cookies and a glass of milk. We sit in the kitchen window and he tells me how Elijah had grown bored of him. How he didn't want to teach him anymore. How he tossed him aside as if he were nothing.

"I don't understand. I thought he cared about me. I thought he was proud of me and wanted to teach me. Wanted me to learn. Why is he ashamed of me? Am I really boring?"

"No, no. No my child. Never." I hold him close as a new wave of tears rushes forth. I squeeze my eyes shut and try to find a way to explain it to him. How can I reverse the damage caused by Elijah's thoughtlessness?

But that's just it. Elijah is not and never has been thoughtless. But he is loyal to a fault. The entire disaster with Kol happened because Klaus was jealous of Elijah's growing relationship with the boy he fancies as his ward.

In that moment I understand that what Elijah has done was perhaps the only thing he could do. Telling Marcellus why they couldn't spend time together anymore would turn him against Klaus, which was perhaps the worse thing. Carrying on without change would bring about more destruction. They only thing that could possibly be done, was for Elijah to make Marcellus hate him, and turn to Klaus for comfort.

Except it's not just Klaus that Marcellus is turning to. It's me as well. I resolve that I must never allow my relationship with Marcellus to overtake his bond with Klaus. Or at the very least, make sure that Klaus continues to remain ignorant of my existence.

I hush Marcellus and comfort him as best I can. "You are not boring. Elijah is just easily distracted. Understand this." I make sure that he is looking at me for what I have to say. "Elijah is part of this family. The family that took you in. But you must remember that Klaus is the one who brought you here, and he is the one who took responsibility for you. Elijah did no such thing. So you mustn't blame Elijah. Do you understand?"

Marcellus nods in response.

"Good. Let me reheat these cookies. They're better warm."

We continue talking late into the night. I do my best to assure him that he is not in any way boring or insignificant. "Marcellus darling. Even if you never mean much to some people, to me you are everything. And I know that you are important to Klaus too. You are our everything. You give my life purpose. So don't ever think that you don't mean anything. You mean everything."

He holds onto me for dear life and his meek voice is muffled in my embrace. "Julia?"

"Yes dear?"

"Remember how you said I could save my wish for a rainy day? I know what I wish for now."

"What do you wish for?" I ask.

"I wish to call you mother?" He asks so quietly that I almost think I've heard him wrong. But when I pull back and look at his face, eyebrows furrowed in worried anticipation, I know that I heard him right and I can't help the tears that sting my eyes.

"Of course you can," my response comes easily. But it is still clear in my mind that I must be careful. "But, only call me that when others aren't around ok? The Mikaelson's have adopted you, not me. You see me as family, but they don't. So it's important that you don't bring too much attention to me. Understand?"

"Yes, ma'am."

By the time he finally gets to sleep that night, I am exhausted. It hurts me that I had to support what Elijah did. I even backed up his play by turning Marcellus to see Klaus more and more as the stable male figure in his life. The one who took responsibility. The one who saved him. And I hate myself for it. While I was careful that what I said was true, I omitted the fact that Elijah would arguably be the more stable and favorable father figure. He's been relegated to the arrogant uncle and yet I will have to be okay with that, because it is what Elijah wanted. At least, it is my hope, that Marcellus won't resent him for it. Elijah doesn't deserve to be hated for his sacrifice. That just adds insult to injury.

I head down the hall and rather than going to my own room, I head to Rebekah's. I am surprised to find her awake, but she lets me in.

"Julia? Is everything all right?"

"Do you mind letting me talk to you for a little bit?" I ask as I hug myself.

"Of course not. Come in. Us girls gotta stick together." She ushers me into her room and we sit together on the settee in front of the dying fire place.

"It's rather warm. Why do you have a fire?"

"As a vampire I don't much feel temperature like I used to. And I like the way it looks. Makes it seem cozy in this big house." I nod my understanding. "Now. What did you want to talk about?"

"I worry for Marcellus," I begin. I tell her of my encounter with Kol, how I went to Elijah to stop it, and how Elijah turned against Marcellus to keep Klaus from growing angered again. I tell her how I supported Elijah's decision and even backed it up with the boy in question. "But most of all Rebekah, I worry about how defenseless Marcellus is."

I take a breath and continue. "I know that he lives in a house with powerful supernatural beings, and somehow you would think that makes it the safest place on earth. But with that protection, he also gains the same enemies. I am not naive enough to think that Marcellus won't one day wish to turn. I fear that it may be inevitable. But in the meantime, he is a human child and I could do nothing in the face of Kol. What if I had gotten to Elijah too late? What if I couldn't find anyone? What if Kol had succeeded and he never got to grow up? What if next time it's a situation where he won't wake up again at all? I just...I don't know what to do."

Rebekah takes my hands in hers. "I think, perhaps, the best thing to do would be to learn to fight. Perhaps you and Marcellus both could benefit from learning to take up arms."

I look at our hands before looking up at her. "That may be wise my dear. Though I hate the thought of an eleven year old learning to fight the way Klaus would surely teach him."

"No. Of course it shouldn't be Klaus. Klaus and Elijah both rely on their physical supernatural strengths and abilities. You and Marcellus need to learn to fight the way the weaker vessels would fight." She smirks at me and looks quite proud of herself. "I shall teach you both the art of swordplay. It's quick, clean, and can be done honorably. It's also excellent practice for learning to be quick, thinking ahead, and studying your opponent."

"Right.." I begin.

"It's settled then. I will start training Marcellus tomorrow. You and I can have quiet sessions at night if you aren't too tired. Easier to keep it from Klaus that way. I'm sure he wouldn't mind me teaching the boy though."

Lessons begin the next day and Marcellus grows stronger and faster. He comes in one day with a bright smile and I ask him what he's smirking about. "I'm going to marry Rebekah one day."

I am briefly startled by this declaration, but when I place my hand on his shoulder to set his meal down in front of him, my eyes glaze over and I can see it. I can see their bright smiles and I can recognize him. The handsome face of a dark skinned man that I knew would one day be important.

"Mother?" I break myself from my vacant stare and look at him. "Are you okay?"

"Yes. Yes of course," I assure him. "I was just thinking that if you want to marry Rebekah one day you need to grow up a bit more. Don't think about it too hard until you're taller than her. Could you imagine how strange it would look if you danced at parties together and you were so short!?" I tease him to get his mind off of his worry and he laughs.

"But when I'm taller, you'll approve right?"

I smile softly at him. I know that they will be happy together. I can see that much. Although I don't believe it will be an easy road for them to get there, I know that in the end it will be worth it. So I nod. "Of course, my son. You deserve to be happy with whomever you wish. Whether it's Rebekah or someone else."

All I can do is hope against hope that Klaus will approve.


	3. Chapter 3: When Sight is Helpless

**I've gotten quite a bit more feedback on this than I expected so thank you all for your support. :D Let's continue shall we? Let me know what you think!**

While Marcellus finds distraction in Rebekah's lessons and Klaus' exploits, Elijah finds it in Celeste Dubois. I'd never really known Elijah to fall into bed with just anyone as I had noticed Klaus do from time to time, but I can't say that I am unhappy about it.

After sacrificing his bond with Marcellus, he seemed more reserved than usual. The sweetness of Celeste seems to make him forget his troubles, and he is more relaxed. She softens him and he seems much happier in general.

Celeste and I cross paths in the library one sweltering afternoon. Up to that moment, she and I had never spoken.

"Oh, pardon me!"

"It's perfectly alright," I assure her.

"My name is Celeste," she holds out her hand and I take it. The vision that dances behind my eyes doesn't surprise me. Witches are plentiful in this area. The land becomes saturated with magic more and more every day.

Celeste however, is suprised by me. "Oh!" She pulls her hand back and looks at me with inquisitive eyes. "You're a seer. And a powerful one at that."

I want to fold in on myself badly in this moment. My cursed gift is not something I've spoken with openly with anyone and I am not comfortable with it being known by this stranger - a stranger who has been intimate with one of the rather dangerous men I live with.

"I suppose I am. I don't make much use of my sight."

"You can't control it?"

I do not know this woman. Do I really want her to know that I am uncontrollable power source? What could the witches do with something like me?

"If I had no control, I imagine I would be using it more." I hope that was vaguely intimidating. The truth is, the power exuding off this woman scares me. I get a sense that she is walking on a razors edge, although what lies to either side of that edge is unknown to me.

She gives me a pleased smile and nods slightly. "You do wisely to not make it known. I shudder to think what Klaus might do with a powerful seer in his employ."

"I'm glad we understand each other."

"Quite." She glides from the room stopping to look over shoulder at the doorway. "I didn't catch your name…"

I debate with myself but I believe it unwise to antagonize the woman. "Julia."

"Well then. Take care Julia." And then she is gone and I release a breath I didn't realize I'd been holding.

Barely two weeks later I am hit with a wave of anguish and pain in my third eye. Death. So much death. Klaus comes back every night after that, covered in blood. His blood stained clothing makes it into my washing tub and I know that this isn't even going to be the worst of it. No. The worst of it will come when the screams I can hear do. One scream in particular haunts me, and I do everything in my power to avoid running into Celeste again because of it.

"Mother? Is everything okay?"

I look at Marcellus and smile. "Yes of course. Everything is fine."

He is still but a child, and I will shield him from the bloodshed as much as I can. It's a losing battle I know. I cannot hide him from it forever.

I wake one morning and taste the metal in the air. I feel the ache in my bones and hear the screams in my mind. My sense of impending doom grows ever more present. Klaus heads out early for a morning duel. Elijah goes out after him by barely an hour. It is not long after that when the angry crowd descends on the little cottage Celeste had been spending her days with Elijah in. I am caught in the flood and dragged into the room. I turn my head from Celeste as a man yanks back her hair. I squeeze my eyes shut against her screams. I can hear her struggle as she quiets her voice.

"You."

Instinctively I know she speaks of me, and I look up at her. Her eyes burn into mine. "You see and do nothing," she hisses.

"Silence witch!" The man puts a knife to her throat and her lips curl into a snarl.

"You'll live to regret your loyal-"

She is cut off abruptly and the blood pours from her throat. I am numb and in my own mind when the angry mob races off to find another victim. I cannot help but feel her words echoing through me. They did not feel like the empty threat of a woman on death's door. They felt like a deadly promise made by someone with literally nothing to lose.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. But I did not have the power you thought I had."

My words fall on dead ears and I know I can not stand to stay here any longer. I run back to the house and feel even more anguish when I see Elijah's face. He and I mourn, but for different reasons and separately in our own way. His anger with Klaus on the subject is palpable.

There is one night in particular that I feel the need to cut through the tension. I'm ferocious with Rebekah with the sword. My anger translates into sloppiness and I am knocked off of my feet.

Rebekah leans down and gives me a hand. "Are you alright Julia?"

"I'm fine."

"You're getting sloppy. Speed is not your friend. In combat, speed, especially when in anger, is your enemy." She comes at me with a series of motions and I am on the defensive. "Fluidity is what you want. Control. That is how you create the illusion of speed."

I nod and come at her again, still angry but I breathe through it and don't let it control me as she continues to speak. "It gives precision and accuracy. You need to anticipate." She surprises me yet again, and I find myself on the floor again.

I take a moment to catch my breath. "I am afraid Rebekah."

"You have survived in the home of the original family for a couple of years now. What could you possibly be afraid of?"

"I fear what I do not understand. I fear what my life will look like. Celeste was angry with me Rebekah. She blamed me. I could see it. I could feel it. I fear what she may yet be capable of."

She sighs and helps me to my feet. "Celeste is dead and gone. There is nothing she can do to any of us now."

I sigh and push the hair from my brow. I know that there is something about that that isn't quite right. Celeste's voice echoes in my mind. But there is nothing for me but to let it go. I'll deal with it if it comes up again. "You're right. I need to put it behind me. No sense in worrying about something I can't do anything about today."

"There you go." She smiles at me. "Now. Again."

On my way back to my room after our practice session, I pass the library and notice a light. Elijah is hunched over at the desk with a pen in hand. His hand quivers slightly and he sets the instrument down to hang his head in his dirty hands. I notice the footprints he had tread in behind him. He has buried Celeste - of that I am certain.

I make a move to leave silently, but the board beneath me creaks and in a flash my back is to the wall and a grief stricken Elijah is looming over me.

"What are doing?" he hisses, eyes dark.

I try not to let my voice shake. "Heading to bed. I was working late."

He furrows his brow at me and his eyes trail down to the necklace on my chest. He looks back at my eyes and I swallow. "Where did you get this?"

"Where do you think?"

"How dare you answer my question with a question."

"If you didn't want me to answer that way you shouldn't ask questions you already know the answer to."

He takes a step back from me and straightens his clothes. "Quite." He looks at me thoughtfully. "You are Rebekkah's then. And she's taken a liking to you."

"I am no more hers than yours. But I am her friend."

"Friend," he scoffs. "I don't think this family knows what friends are."

"You seem to understand the loyalty between family. Surely you can understand that the family we choose is more powerful than what we are born with."

"And you think Rebekah has chosen you?"

"Whether she has chosen me or not is of no consequence. I have chosen her." I think perhaps I should stop with that statement, but there's something in my eyes that makes me continue. "Just as I have chosen Marcellus and even you."

His eyes look at me slightly startled, slightly calculating, sizing me up and looking for malice. "What could possibly possess you to choose my family?"

I pause. It's a good question. One I've often asked myself. "Because...you're family." I glance at the floor to gather my thoughts. "You all love each other in your own ways. It's brutal and often messy but at the core, most of it is all done with a sense of loyalty. To be honest I'm completely fascinated by your individual relationships with Klaus."

Pain and anger flash on his face at the mention of his brother. "Niklaus is thoughtless. I fear I may have been wrong about the possibility for redemption for his evils."

"You say that, but you don't believe it. All he has to do is smile at Marcellus and you have hope again."

He rubs his hands over his face and paces slightly before looking at me again. "And you? Do you have hope for my brother?"

"There...there does seem to be something good in him. It's hidden deep under insecurity but it's there. I can't say that I do not fear what his selfishness and jealousy will bring on us all."

"And yet you stay."

"For the boy. Doesn't it all hinge on the boy? He keeps Klaus grounded, he makes Rebekah smile. He even softened you for a moment before you sacrificed your relationship."

He is taken aback by my words. "My sacrifice?"

"Do not try to pretend that you really grew bored of Marcellus. You love that child as we all do. You just love your brother more."

"You're very perceptive for one so young."

"A curse really." I sigh. "For what it's worth, I respect what you did. There really weren't many options for you to choose from."

"You speak of Marcellus as though you are close. Tell me. Does he hate me?" He seems as though he is unsure he wants to know.

"No. I don't think so. I know I couldn't really explain to him, but I tried to make sure he understood he shouldn't blame you."

He nods his head. "Thank you."

The conversation has come to a stop. A silence hangs over us for a moment before I break it.

"I should head to bed. I have a lot of work tomorrow." He nods his understanding and I turn to go. I stop myself and look back. "Elijah?'

He looks up at me.

"Try to get some sleep. You need your rest as well."

"I will try...Julie was it?"

I smile. "Close. Julia."

"Julia. Goodnight," he says with a tight smile.

"Goodnight."


	4. Chapter 4: 'Til Death do we Part

**This chapter is a bit shorter than the first three but I finished it super quickly so thought I'd post anyway. Thank you all again for the reviews, follows and favorites! Please don't hesitate to let me know your thoughts and theories. :D**

They say that time heals all wounds, but it has come to be my belief that companionship works a faster miracle. In time, I begin to forget the sense of foreboding that Celeste's final words left me with.

The conversation with Elijah in the library that night leads to a tentative friendship built on the grief she left behind. I do not tell Elijah that I was there when she died. I do not tell him what she said. He doesn't ask me. We take to discussing the books we have read. "Are there any great works I am missing in this library?" he asks me one day.

"I think you would know better than I. You've lived longer and seen more."

"I should think that you are still probably the best second set of eyes in this house," he responds.

I can't help but laugh at that. "Perhaps. Or perhaps you just prefer my company to that of your siblings at the moment."

He can't seem to stop the smile that appears on his face. "Again. So perceptive."

I continue to be careful as I grow closer with Elijah and Rebekah as well as Marcellus. While Klaus seems to be more and more comfortable and in control, he is still someone I am particularly wary of. Especially in regards to the boy. If anything were to happen to him because of my actions I would never forgive myself. So I continue to stay silent in the hybrid's presence.

Rebekah continues her lessons with us both. And Marcellus continues to grow like a weed.

"Hold on young man," I grab him before he sprints through the kitchen to the back door. "Where are you off to in such a hurry?"

"Klaus and I are going to spend the day with the horses today. He's going to teach me to race!"

I shake my head in amusement. "Alright then. But please be careful." I brush some hair out of his face and marvel at the fact that we are nearly eye level. "We need to get you a haircut."

"It's fine mother," he whines impatiently. "I'll be careful I promise!" He bolts out the door and I can't help the soft laugh that escapes me.

"He calls you mother." Elijah leans in the doorway and I look back at him.

"Seems odd to you doesn't it. I'm barely old enough to be called such a thing. Especially for someone nearing his teen years."

"Not odd really. Just...unexpected. But I suppose you've done the most for him in that particular role."

"I suppose I have." I continue working on the bread I was kneading before I had been interrupted.

"Do you ever take a day off Julia?"

"A day off?" I laugh. "Do you know how much work goes into this house? Not to mention the revolving door of help I have. I barely keep someone long enough to teach them to do anything properly. It's a wonder this place hasn't burned to the ground."

"I think it can survive one day on it's own. I was going to head into the city for a bit. I have some business. I thought perhaps you'd like to join me. You can pick up some things from the book shop. See if anything new has come in."

I sigh and look up at him. "It is tempting."

"Come now Julia. There is more to life in this family then cleaning up after us."

"Oh so I'm part of the family now am I?" I quip.

"Marcellus has obviously chosen you, and he is part of us more than some of our blood relatives. You were right when you said that choice is powerful."

"Alright. You've convinced me," I say as I put up my things. "Lead the way."

The ride into town is pleasant. The city itself has grown quite a bit since the last time I had seen it. The air is hot and sticky and smells of sugar and freshly baked bread.

We part ways in the city, planning to meet up a while later. He hands me his coin purse before we do so that I can get anything that we might need or want. I browse the shops on my way to the bookstore. My distraction leads me to walk into a woman passing in the other direction.

"Oh! Pardon me." I say and I move to steady her on her feet. Her hands grip my wrists and Elijah's coin purse as my mind goes aflame. Unknown words whisper out of her and leave me gasping.

My knees grow weak and I feel myself fading. Her arms wrap around me as I collapse into her. Her warm breath hits my ear and I hear her speak. "You will live to regret your loyalty to the Mikaelson's. You will live a very, very long time in order to do so."

My mind barely has any time to process that before everything goes blank.

"Julia." My name sounds as though it's underwater. "Julia."

My eyes flutter open and focus on Elijah leaning over me. I glance around, finding myself on a couch. "Are you alright? The store manager says you just collapsed."

"I'm fine." I pause and wonder if I should tell him what happened. But he has only just started being himself again. How can I tell him that I suspect Celeste is not as dead as we thought she was? "It must have been the heat."

The store manager hands me a glass of water and as soon as Elijah is satisfied that I am alright, we head back to the manor.

The next several weeks leave me shaken and confused. I search through every book I can get my hands on. I do my best to remember the strange words she used. I know she must have used a spell. She must have cursed me in some way, but I cannot find what I'm looking for. I don't know where to begin.

I chop away at the carrots and celery angrily as I fume over my situation. In my distraction my hand slips and I slice at my finger. "Oosh," I hiss and quickly hold my hand in my apron. After a moment I ease to take a look at the damage only to find blood without an apparent source.

I clean the blood away and examine more closely. Not even a scratch. My brow furrows. How? The only thing that I can think of is that Celeste did this. But why? I thought she wanted to curse me? Why give me supernatural healing?

"Are you alright?" Rebakah startles me with her sudden appearance.

"Yes. Yes I'm fine." Although I cannot understand why.

I begin to think more about what the witch said to me after doing...whatever it is she did. _You will live to regret your loyalty to the Mikaelson's. You will live a very, very long time in order to do so. _Could it be that she is playing a longer game? Could it be that she wants to keep me alive long enough for her to exact her revenge? Long enough for her to find a way back? Long enough for it to come at the worst possible time for the Mikaelson family?

I don't want to think I'm right, but I cannot think of anything else. An extended life span, for who knows how long. Waiting for years and years, looking over my shoulder for decades at a time, just wondering when she might strike. The worst possible kind of torture.

The only way I can confirm my theory is to consult a witch. I set aside a day to head into the quarter. If I am right, Celeste could very well be here with a different face. But if she wanted to kill me, I'd be dead. No. If I run into her here, she would be pleased to tell me what she did. She may even gloat and perhaps that could give me the opportunity to end this before it starts.

But I am not so lucky. The witch I find that is willing to speak with me is old and strikes me as kind. There is nothing in my mind's eye that sees pain or deception from her. But she listens to what I have to say and helps me to prove my theory easily enough.

"It appears that your life has somehow been halted yes," she says.

"Halted? Like I'm frozen in time?"

"In a way but no. You won't age that is true, but only so long as the anchor you're tied to is alive."

"The anchor?"

"Whoever this witch you speak of was, she has tied your life to another. As long as they live, so too will you. Should they ever die, you will quickly follow, aging and wasting away." She looks at me thoughtfully. "She would have needed to have something that belonged to the anchor. A way to bind the link."

Seeing as it was Celeste, I do not doubt that she found something or even had something hidden away that belonged to Elijah. More than likely I am tied to him, although I cannot be completely certain if that is the case or not. She could have tied me to Klaus or even Rebekah. I have no doubt it's one of the three, as that would give her the most time to carry out any nefarious plots she may have in mind.

"Is there anyway to find out who she tied me to without finding the object she used to bind the link?" I ask.

"No my dear. You would need to find the object that belonged to the anchor and then find out to whom it belonged," she informs me.

I have no hope finding the object if I can't find Celeste, and therefore cannot know to which Original vampire I am tied. I lie awake in bed that night thinking of how long the future looks. All the pain I'll see, but also all I will be able to do. I know that one day Marcellus will want to turn. At least this way I can stay with him for longer in his life, and maybe keep him grounded with some form of humanity.


	5. Chapter 5: Pain is an Effective Teacher

**Time got away from me. I didn't realize how busy I'd gotten lately. Thank you all for being patient with me. *love and hugs***

I shudder to think that I could have ever been that bad as a teenager. The older Marcellus gets, the less it seems he needs his mother. It seems no matter how hard I try, I can't make him stop being angry at the world for giving him such a difficult childhood. He's mad that his birth mother died, he's mad that his birth father wanted nothing to do with him beyond that what a master wants of a slave.

Logically I know that he is being this way because he's at an age in his life that brings confusion. He's growing quickly and becoming more self aware. An adult mind trapped in a child's gangly body without any of the emotional control that comes with practice.

"He's being impossible," Rebekah rants to me over an evening cup of tea. "I don't know how he expects to learn anything if he doesn't listen."

I shake my head in shared frustration. "I don't know. He doesn't think most of the time I don't think."

For his part, Elijah doesn't seem to be wholly perturbed. Marcellus avoids him most of the time, still hurt by the sudden abandonment.

I don't begin to worry about him until his rebelliousness takes a reckless turn. Klaus is amused by it at first. I find myself biting my tongue more than once to scream in his face and tell him he took the responsibility of a father, not an enabler.

One day I find Marcellus down by the rushing river, jumping from one rock to the next. If the waters were calmer perhaps that would be fine, but not today. "Marcel. Get back to the bank before you hurt yourself!"

He rolls his eyes. "I'm fine mom! Just let me be! I'm not a child anymore."

Horrors flash before my eyes and I know that he's going to slip. I know that he is going to be hurt. But it's no use. He will not listen and I cannot bare to watch it in person. I turn and I rush back to the house, aching at the difficult lesson Marcellus is about to learn the hard way.

We are close enough to the river that the vampires can anything that may happen. I am not so lucky. I sit in silence, waiting for the penny to drop.

Waiting.

Waiting.

And then Klaus flies past me at a speed I can barely glimpse and I jump up knowing.

When Klaus suddenly appears back in the house looking pale and shaken, holding his young teenage boy in his arms I am struck by how scared he looks. I've seen him with a lot of different emotions, but never fear.

Rebekah rushes down the stairs looking stricken in her own way. "Is he breathing?"

"Yes. Yes." Klaus can't seem to say more than that.

I can't seem to think about anything other than the fact that Marcel looks terribly young in this moment. He is soaking wet from head to foot, scraped up and bruised, battered from the current of the river as I knew he would be.

"Get him upstairs." I am thankful that Rebekah can take charge in this moment.

She is a flurry of orders and miracle of miracles, Klaus doesn't argue with her. He silently carries Marcel upstairs and lays him in bed. He doesn't notice me when I follow. Rebekah brings in a mass of towels and a bowl of warm water and wrappings for his wounds.

"Nik don't." She stops him from giving blood to him.

"He needs it," he says with venom in his voice.

"He's just a boy still. You can't turn him just because you're afraid. His heartbeat is steady. His recklessness didn't kill him. It just battered him."

Klaus pauses and looks at his sister and then at Marcellus. "You're right. He was reckless. What he needs is to learn that he is not invisible yet. That there are consequences for his actions."

Rebekah looks at him in shock. "So you're going to let him suffer in pain?"

"He could have died! If he doesn't learn from this, then what would stop him from doing it again!"

His sister nods her understanding and places the wrappings in my hands. "Tend to him," she says softly.

"Let him rest Nik." She attempts to drag Klaus from the room but he does not budge.

"No. I leave when I'm ready to leave."

"Nik..."

"No!"

She takes an involuntary step back. "Fine! Have it your way. Stay until the boy wakes up." With that she leaves in a huff.

I am thankful for the task she has given me. Something to do. Something to fuss over. I dry my son and use warm water to clean away the wounds. Klaus hovers over us, watching Marcellus sleep. I take my time. Partly to be gentle with what must be painful and partly because I will have no excuse to stay when I'm done and I don't think Klaus will suffer my presence without a reason.

I expect Klaus to take his anger at the situation out on me. But he is oddly subdued. He stays silent, and even when I start cleaning bruises that need no such attention, he says nothing, choosing instead to sit opposite me by his adopted son's side and stoically watching for him to stir awake.

After awhile, I cannot bare to look at his sleeping form any longer. His pulse is steady and my third eye shows me that he will be fine, but it worries me. I also can't stand to be so near Klaus much longer either. He could turn on me at any moment and tell myself that I am afraid. I'm not really. Whether he admits it out loud or not, he loves this boy. In this moment he is softer than I have ever seen him, and it tightens my chest in a way that I expect to be uncomfortable...and yet it isn't.

I leave the room quietly. Klaus doesn't acknowledge it all. I might as well have been a ghost. When I come downstairs, Elijah is sitting in the study. He stands when I enter and I feel myself start to shake with the worry I had been suppressing. Elijah walks towards me slowly and the closer he gets the more my tears start to flow unbidden from my eyes.

When his arms wrap around me a sob finally releases and I fall into him slightly. He is stiff as I release my emotions into him. I barely register when Rebekah enters and begins to comfortingly stroke my back and hair. Her presence is warmer and I gravitate toward her, sobs growing stronger.

"Shhh. Julia. It's alright. He's going to be alright."

I stay with Rebekah that night, afraid to go to sleep on my own.

I go to check on Marcellus in the morning only to find Klaus speaking very sternly to the teenaged boy. I step back from the doorway and listen from the hall.

"It hurts," I hear Marcellus say.

"That's what happens when you get dragged down a river full of rocks and sharp objects," Klaus responds with a rather perturbed voice.

"Make it stop. Please." My heart breaks at the pain in his voice.

"No. You have to learn that you are not immortal right now. You are human. Humans are fragile. And weak. You have to be more careful. If you become a vampire, I don't care what messes you get yourself into but right now you can't go charging into things that will get you killed."

"But it hurts."

"I know. That's the point. Pain is an excellent teacher." Klaus pauses after his slightly angry response and sighs. "I know it is not a kind teacher, but I don't know how else I will be able to make you understand that you are not invincible or untouchable."

"You said you would protect me! You said that I would be safe!"

"I am keeping you safe! Even if that means I protect you from your own stupidity. That's what that was Marcellus. Reckless stupidity!" I take a few steps back as I hear Klaus making his way to the door. "You will sit here in pain until you understand that your stupidity is not without consequences!"

Klaus bursts through the door and slams it shut behind him before stocking off down the hall, not even realizing that he is being watched by a human in his household.

After a moment I gingerly open the door and head inside. Marcellus is softly crying and I don't know if it's from getting heavily scolded or because he's in pain.

I sit next to him in the bed and carefully hold him. "It hurts," he whimpers.

"I know, dear. But next time you really should listen to me when I tell you something is dangerous."

"I'm sorry. I know it was stupid. And now Klaus is angry with me."

I shake my head. "No he's not. He's angry that you almost got yourself killed. He's angry that he didn't stop you sooner."

"Are you angry?"

"I'm...I'm sad. I'm sad that you decided to learn the hard way that you really should listen to your mother. I'm not trying to treat you like you're a little kid or belittle you. I'm trying to help you be the best you can. There's no shame in learning from those that have more life experience than you. No matter how old you get, there will always be someone older and wiser. It would be myopic of you to ignore that fact."

"Okay. I understand. I'm sorry mother."

Over the next few days, Marcellus improves. Klaus visits every few days but refuses to speed the healing process. It's a lesson learned the hard way but I doubt that the same mistake will be made twice. I am almost impressed by the way Klaus handles it. It's probably one of the most fatherly things I've ever seen him do.

When Marcellus is better he is more cautious and more respectful. He listens to what I have to say...most of the time. But I suppose that is just part of being the reckless young person that he is. There is an element in him that I think will always be drawn to danger. There is something in him that will always thoughtlessly run head long into stupid decisions, without any regard for his own safety. I am not certain how to break him of that and I don't think the rest of them are either.

But worst of all I know for certain that I will not break him of his recklessness. I can see it all too clearly: the day Marcellus is too rash for his own good, will be the day he stops being human.


	6. Chapter 6: Racing to the Turning Point

**Thank you all for your support! I honestly didn't expect anyone to follow or favorite this story. It was just a tiny seed of an idea but oh boy I think we're all in for a ride now. I seriously appreciate all of the reviews and I look forward to hearing from more of you. **

**For those of you wondering when Julia and Klaus will finally interact fear not. This will be the last chapter before we are in for it. I'm super excited. EEE. Enjoy! *love and hugs***

Several years pass before I notice a change in Rebekah. I cannot pinpoint exactly where it started but at some point she started pulling away from me. She stops meeting my eyes. We don't have as many quiet conversations in the kitchen or either of our rooms. In the meantime, Marcellus grows more and more confident by the day.

It amuses me that they think I don't know.

It worries me that they think Klaus won't find out.

I don't like that they feel they have to hide from me. Rebekah is perhaps my best friend. Marcellus is my son. So I feel no qualms about confronting either of them.

"He's grown to be quite the man hasn't he?" I ask her with a smirk one day.

"He has," she replies somewhat absent mindedly before catching herself. "You know. For a human."

I laugh. "Rebekah it's okay."

"It is?" she asks surprised and hopeful.

"I think he's loved you for a long time. And you make each other happy. I know he'll choose to turn one day. That's inevitable with his whole family being immortal. And I would rather him fall for someone who can last with him rather than to fall for a human he'll eventually out live or that will run from him in fear of what he has become."

"Yes. But, I practically helped raise him. Does that not strike you as strange?"

"Do you or he feel it is strange?"

"Well...no."

"Are you happy? Both of you?"

"Yes," she smiles softly.

"Then it's not strange. I'm glad you have each other."

Thankfully things go back to normal after that between Rebekah and I. Marcellus is relieved to have my blessing.

"Do you not remember that you told me you were going to marry her when you were eleven? And I said I would approve when you were taller?"

He smiles slightly at the memory. "I do seem to recall that conversation."

"Well, you are a bit taller now."

His deep laughter makes me smile and I can't believe how grown up he all of a sudden is. If time always moves this quickly, then I can easily see how another thousand years would seem like a blink. And when I look in the mirror and see the same face I've seen for the last 10 years I wonder if I will age through any of it.

Rebekah doesn't seem to notice my ageless face. Marcellus notices but is easily distracted by jokes about my good diet and lots of exercise trying to keep up with him, and the fact that overall my son just keeps me young. I wonder how much longer he'll allow me to brush it off with humor. Elijah is the one who is not so easily deterred.

"It doesn't appear you've aged a day."

"You flatter me. It may be a bit irritating to have such a youthful face at my age but I suppose I'll be glad for it another 10 years from now. Keep my beauty a little more timeless." I keep my answer light and amusing.

He doesn't buy it. "No. It's not that you have a youthful look. It's that you literally don't look a day older than a decade ago. How is that possible?"

I raise my eyebrow at him. "You don't look a day over the age you were when you became immortal either."

I realize my mistake a moment too late. "Immortal? But you're not...did Rebekah turn you?"

"No! Of course not."

"Then explain. What do you mean by that?"

I sigh. "I am uncertain of the details. All I know is that a witch became angry with me for attaching myself to the Original family. She cursed me to live as long as you do. I suppose I should be glad I don't age either. Can you imagine being immortal without eternal youth?"

"A witch tied you to us?"

I shrug. "Or at least one of you. It doesn't really matter though does it?"

Elijah looks grave. "I am sorry. I had hoped that you might be the one person our family didn't destroy."

I place my hand over his. "You didn't destroy me."

"Maybe not yet or in the way you think. But we have a long time to do so now. You can never have a normal life."

"If I wanted a normal life I would've gone after it a long time ago," I remind him.

He shakes his head. "Your attachment and compassion for Marcellus kept you from pursuing another life. Without him who is to say you wouldn't have wanted your own children."

The slight pain in my chest is unexpected. "Marcellus is my child. Maybe I didn't get to give birth to him, or raise him before he was already half way a man, but he is mine. I don't regret it. Not any of it."

Elijah looks understanding. "You don't have to regret something you have done to regret something you haven't."

"Well... aren't you wise."

He smiles sadly. "Sometimes."

A particular topic of conversation becomes more popular among the siblings in the coming days. Klaus is determined to find the new Petrova doppleganger. Something about her blood will be necessary for his plan to become even more powerful. But tensions being what they are in New orleans would mean it is unwise for Klaus to go anywhere. His presence in the city is necessary in order to keep the peace. Too much progress has been made for it to all get thrown away now. The obvious answer is to send out Elijah.

I miss Elijah almost as soon as he is gone. I know it will be a long while before I see him again.

Rebekah and Marcellus both worry how Klaus will react when they reveal their affair. And without Elijah around there is no one to buffer Klaus should he react poorly.

"Perhaps it would be best for us to wait until Elijah returns," Rebekah says thoughtfully.

I shake my head. "If you and Marcellus think you can stop having any sort of romantic contact for that length of time then by all means. But who knows how long he'll be gone. In the meantime, the longer you keep it a secret from him, the more betrayed he's going to feel. Especially if he finds out on his own."

I had hoped they would listen to me, and that they would tell Klaus. Instead, Marcellus comes to me in a rage. Like father like son, he throws things and screams until he can't anymore and burns himself out into a broken mess on the floor. I know that Klaus did something, but it's even worse than I imagined when Marcellus finally finds his voice to talk to me.

"He daggered her. He stabbed her right in the heart and she went so pale and limp in my arms and I just…" he breaks down sobbing and I gather him into my arms.

"Like Kol?" I ask, not quite believing it.

He nods and I hug him tighter as the reality of it hits me. Klaus daggered his little sister, the sibling I was sure he was closest too. I had believed that he was becoming more merciful, more relaxed and comfortable in the life we have all built here in this house. But his own sister?

Marcellus becomes very quiet and stoic over the next few days and I know that there is something dangerous and reckless brewing in him, just below the surface.

I find Rebekah in the attic next to Kol.

My hand reaches out and brushes a hair out of her face.

My eyes land on the dagger protruding from her chest.

My hand shakes as my fingertips brush across the hilt.

I breathe in sharply through my nose as my hand grips the knife, poised and ready to remove it.

Tears fall from my eyes as I look at her ashen face.

I choke on a sob and remove my hand from the knife as if it has burned me.

I can't do it. I can't release her from Klaus's punishment. Not now. Not like this. It would make things worse for her, and for Marcellus. Klaus still is mostly oblivious to my presence. That or he chooses to ignore it up to this point because I have never done anything to undermine him. Does this make me a horrible person? Does it make me weak? Am I not strong enough to protect my son, to protect my best friend?

"I am sorry Rebekah. I am so sorry."

Two days later Marcellus seems to snap. My mind explodes in vivid pain as he stomps out of the house with a death wish.

I sink to my knees and mourn for not only Rebekah, but for the young human boy I raised. His retreating form will be the last I see of him.


	7. Chapter 7: A Deal with the Devil

**Well this just kind of flowed out of my hands on keyboard rather quickly. Please let me know what you think. Writing Klaus is not easy. lol. *love and hugs***

The front door is heavy and thuds loudly when it shuts. I rush from the study and pause in the doorway at the sight of Klaus carrying a limp Marcellus over his shoulder and up the stairs.

I find myself rushing to the kitchen, knowing in my heart that Marcel is dead and will need to feed on human blood in order to complete the transition. I hesitate briefly in thought. Fresh blood would be better.

I nod once to myself and grab a knife along with a towel and a bowl of water before rushing up the stairs and into Marcellus's room where I get my first good look at my son. His face is more drained then I've ever seen it. He's eerily still and silent and I feel my heart break a little, even knowing that he will wake up.

I set the bowl and the towel off to the side and grip the knife in my hand. I can't cut myself before he wakes up or the wound may heal over too quickly, so I will wait. It shouldn't be long now.

Klaus appears in the room with a young blond human girl in tow. He looks at me in surprise and I know that I've reached the end of my ghost like presence in his life. I steel myself. I suppose the best way to handle this is to just own it. Own my existence. Own the authority I have earned by raising HIS CHILD. I glance at the girl and shake my head. "She won't be necessary. I'd rather she go back to cleaning the fireplace like I assigned her to this morning."

Before he has time to overcome his confusion and respond Marcellus gasps and jerks awake, eyes bloodshot and wide.

"Marcellus," I exclaim and quickly kneel next to him as I slit my wrist, wrapping my arm around the back of his neck and bringing my wrist in front of his face.

I know what he needs and if it means giving him my blood to keep him alive then that is what I'll do. "Come on Marcellus."

He looks at me with frightened eyes. "I feel…starving," he says through gritted teeth.

I take a deep breath. "I know. You need to feed. Come on. It's ok. I want you too."

He takes my wrist in his hands and looks up at me again, dark veins forming under his eyes as his new found instincts start to kick in.

I nod. "It's ok. Drink."

Newly formed fangs sink into my flesh and I gasp at the initial shock. The pain disappears almost immediately and is replaced with a numbness and an odd pulling sensation. I barely notice when Klaus releases the girl and she stumbles out of the room.

My opposite hand strokes Marcellus's forehead as I speak encouragements. "That's it. You're ok. You're ok."

Marcellus's eyes briefly flick up to mine and a stony expression takes over as he forces himself to pull away.

I feel myself go slightly limp and dizzy. "Mother!"

My vision is fuzzy as a wrist is pressed to my lips and I find myself pulling in a gulp of metallic liquid before yanking myself way as my vision clears. "I'm ok!"

I stand up and use the towel I brought from the kitchen to wipe the blood away from my lips and wrist before grabbing Marcellus's wrist and wiping his clean as well.

I step back and cross my arms. My slight panic and worry for my sons safety gives way to furry. "Of all the reckless, selfish, stupid things for you to do, you decide to go out and get yourself killed! I understand that you are going to go after what you want regardless and having it be a choice is one thing but to go and put yourself in harm's way, forcing your family to act is beyond foolish!"

Marcellus hangs his head in shame and then I'm whirling on Klaus who looks caught halfway between confusion, curiosity, and amusement.

"And you! Oooh. Do I have some things to say to you!" I look at Marcellus's surprised face and make a decision. "But not in front of the boy."

Before Klaus has time to change his amusement into anger I'm dragging him out of the room my his ear and slamming the bedroom door shut behind me. "How dare you! Pushing him into grief strong enough to make him lose his senses! Trying to give him an ultimatum between choosing life and death! I get that parenting didn't come naturally for you but by God I actually thought you were showing improvements."

I barely blink before I'm slammed into the wall and I grunt in pain upon impact. "How dare I?! Who the hell do you think you are yelling at me in my own home?! And since when did Marcellus call anyone mother?!" He pauses and looks at me in deep confusion. "Actually, no. I really want to know the answer to that first part. Who the hell are you?"

I do not know if it's in fear or bravery but I laugh at the situation I find myself in. "I've been living with your family for the last 13 years and you seriously never noticed?" I smirk as he squints at me.

"Ah yes. Our little maid servant. Shouldn't you be off cleaning the kitchen or whatever else it is you're compelled to do and not metalling in the affairs of my family?"

"First of all, I have a name. Julia Rochelle. Secondly, I'm not COMPELLED to do anything. I'm here of my own free will. And thirdly, after over a decade they have become my family as well and I avoided you for good reason but you know what?! I think I should've yelled at you a long time ago."

His hand closes tighter on my throat. Even knowing that he can't kill me does not change the fact that he can cause me pain. Perhaps the fear of pain is worse than the fear of death. The intent of killing me is clear in his eyes but he's going to have to learn to live with disappointment.

I choke as my air supply is completely cut off and I choke out the one word that might make him stop. "Blo-od."

He releases me roughly and I slip to the floor gasping. Marcellus had fed me blood just a moment ago, and Klaus will not risk turning me. Not when torturing a human is so much more amusing.

I smile as I drag myself back to my feet and lean against the wall. I have the advantage of knowing Klaus, while he does not know me at all. I have been observing for years, and it is time to put what I have noticed to good use.

"You can't risk harming me. Not now while Marcellus is the way he is. You've already hurt him enough by daggering Rebekah. If you take the mother figure in his life away from him, especially so soon after taking the woman he has grown to love then you WILL lose him for good."

He practically growls at me. "You don't know anything about it."

"Don't I? I was here before you even knew Marcellus existed. I've fed him, taught him, comforted him. I have kept your house in order, and ensured the people you compelled actually did the work properly. You can't compel someone to know how to do something, just to do it. Brilliant foresight on your part I must say."

"Do not overestimate your worth, Julia." He practically spits my name.

I set my mouth in a hard line and I feel the glint in my eye. "I cook, clean, keep your grounds. Without me this whole place would've fallen into disrepair. And let's not forget that you have sent your last remaining sibling off to do your bidding for who knows how long, and the rest are all temporarily dead up in the attic. That just leaves, you, Marcellus, and me. You're a smart man Niklaus. And I hate to admit it but you are a brilliant strategist. So you tell me. What am I worth?"

I watch as his gaze turns calculating. He's teetering on the edge of a decision and I need to give him an extra push. "How about we make a deal?"

He smirks. "Did your parents never tell you it was unwise to make a deal with the devil?"

I shrug. "It would be kind of difficult to make a deal with myself anyway."

His laughter is sudden and somewhat unexpected but it causes me to relax slightly. "I am not the only strategist here am I?...what do you propose?"

"You will always be a father to Marcellus. I will never try to undermine that. I haven't in the last decade and I am not about to start doing so now. But I am a mother to him, and I would appreciate you not trying to destroy that in turn."

He looks at me without giving anything away. "I can see the advantage to that. In addition to that I will allow you to stay in my house and to continue working, but I may have some additional projects I need you for. You are correct when you say I am low on options with my siblings indisposed. But know this...if you ever lie to me, or get in my way, I will not hesitate to kill you."

His presence seems to grow in the room and he becomes more imposing with each word but I refuse to back down. "I can agree to those terms. I understand you hold all the power in this scenario, and perhaps I am in no position to negotiate. But I do promise you that I will always tell you the truth. You will get no lies from me. Which means I will tell the truth if I disagree with something."

"Your opinion does not matter. I will do whatever I want."

"I understand that. Doesn't mean I won't say anything."

We look at each other in a grudging understanding. "So. Do we have a deal?" I ask, placing my hand out.

His wolfish grin sends tingles up my spine and I realize that despite my humor to the contrary, I really have made a deal with the devil.


	8. Chapter 8: The Two Sided Coin

**Oof. This is a really long chapter. *smirk* you're welcome**

**I do plan on carrying Julia through to modern day so we shall see what happens. I don't really know how I am going to work the complications that Haley and Hope will bring. I am open to suggestions on the path this story will take. Maybe y'all will think of something I haven't and that may open up some new possibilities, so give me a shout if you've got an idea. *thumbs up* **

**Happy Reading!**

It would be a lie to say that it is not a relief to roam the house more freely, and without the fear of being noticed. But despite feeling more relaxed that Klaus knows I exist I still have the weight of missing the rest of the Mikaelson family.

Elijah is still out working and Rebekah is still daggered in the attic. And now that Marcellus has become a vampire, he and Klaus spend even more time together than before. To be honest, I find myself feeling lonely.

In the mornings I tend to the gardens before it becomes too warm. The hustle and bustle within the house erupts as soon as I have passed out the orders for the day. It is no simple feat keeping such a large estate in order, but I throw myself into it more so than before.

In the afternoons I inspect the work that was done in the morning, and find the things that still need to be done before delegating them out again to the staff. A staff that is thankfully not turning over nearly as much as it was with only two vampires in the house and only one of which is prone to draining them completely.

In the evenings, it's all about the dinner plans and preparations for the following day. Once the meal is prepared I oversee it as it is served to the men of the house in the dining hall. It is there that I often hear bits and pieces of conversations about this plan or that for the great city of New Orleans. While I have heard Klaus's plans many times over the years as he discussed them with various siblings, they begin to take on more detail and form more fully. It would be a lie to say that I am not impressed. But it would also be a lie to say that I agree with the methods in which Klaus intends to implement them.

One late morning, an architect and his associate are visiting with Klaus in the study. I missed the conversation but gathered well enough that he had either harmed or severely scared them for some reason as they left shaking.

"They're terrified of you," I tell him from the doorway as his back is turned, downing a glass of whiskey.

"Well that's the point isn't it. They should be afraid. I want them to be afraid. Their fear fuels my power." I move into the room as he speaks and have a seat on the settee in the middle of the room.

"To a point," I say. His jaw twitches in anger just on the verge of exploding out of him before I continue. "I promised you that I would never lie to you. Even if it's not something you want to hear I am going to speak the truth. And the truth is that fear is not your only tool for gaining and keeping power."

He raises an eyebrow at me while pouring himself another finger of whiskey. "You sound like Elijah."

"I'll take that as a complement."

He smirks at me and I deem not to rise to his bait. "Alright then. Tell me. If fear is not my most effective tool then what is?" he asks.

"I didn't say fear is not effective. It obviously is or you wouldn't have the power that you have. But the problem with only using fear is that when it goes on long enough people get it into their heads that you're a tyrant and then they start rebelling and it's a whole mess. People usually die and if enough people die your power is useless because there's no one left to have power over."

"If they start a rebellion then I'll crush it and the cycle of fear will start all over."

"But wouldn't that be exhausting?" I pause and gather my thoughts. I stand and grab a coin from the pile on the desk. "The way I see it, there are two sides to every coin. On one side you have fear. But on the other, you have reverence. Reverence without fear looks weak, and fear without reverence is stifling. People like the illusion of choice. If you gain their reverence, you gain their respect. Then it's not about taking power anymore. It's about them GIVING it to you of their own perceived free will."

I place the coin on the desk in front of him and he picks it up, turning it over in his hand. "It appears I didn't overestimate your strategist mind." He smirks up at me. "Alright then. How would you propose I gain their reverence as well as their fear?"

"I've been hearing you speak of New Orleans for years. More recently with Marcellus. You have a beautiful vision to make this city a cultural monument. A place filled with life and art and music. But rather than implementing these things by force, let the people see your vision. Let them help you build it. You do that, and they will follow you. If anyone tries to undermine it, then you implement fear. Then your power is more solidified and the people are caught unawares."

Klaus looks thoughtfully at the coin his hand as one of the servants appears at the door. "M'lady? Your presence is needed in the kitchen."

"Is it urgent?"

The young man eyes Klaus nervously and nods without a word. I smile at him encouragingly. "Very well. I'll be right there."

I turn to Klaus as the man scurries away. "I'd better go before they burn the whole house down."

I'm half way out of the room when Klaus calls, "Julia." I look back. "Thank you for keeping your end our deal."

"I keep my word. One devil to another." And with that I leave.

The conversation is nearly forgotten a few weeks later when I'm preparing the dining hall for dinner. Marcellus walks in first, head held high. "Good evening mother," he says as he kisses my cheek.

"Marcellus. Good day?" I ask as I straighten his waistcoat.

"Average."

Klaus enters and stops one of the kitchen hands as she begins to return to the kitchen, whisper something in her ear. I hope he doesn't mean to drain her later. She's one of my best workers.

"Julia," he greets me.

"Klaus," I acknowledge as I begin to follow the girl to the kitchen.

"Why don't you join us tonight, Julia? You spend enough time in that kitchen of yours." The prickle at the back of mind tells me he's up to something. Then again, the way he speaks always sounds like he's up to something.

"I couldn't possibly," I start.

"Nonsense. Marcellus," he says, gesturing his head to the chair on his left, across the table from Marcellus's seat. He walks around and pulls out the chair, awaiting me to occupy it.

The kitchen girl returns with another place setting and quickly sets it before quietly disappearing. "Very well," I say as I briskly walk over and take my seat.

Marcellus places a reassuring hand on my shoulder and my hand pats his in thanks.

It takes me a moment to relax into the new found situation. Marcellus and Klaus begin a conversation and I let my mind wander.

Klaus breaks into my thoughts. "What about you Julia? What do you think?"

"I'm sorry. Think about what exactly?"

"The benefit, Mother. We are discussing the details of the fundraiser for New Orleans first cultural center," Marcellus says.

"Oh! Right of course. A benefit. Splendid idea."

"Well it was technically yours," Klaus says before taking a drink.

"I'm sorry what?"

"You said I needed to involve the people in order to continue gaining and maintaining control in this city. I decided you were right. So! We will host a benefit in this house." Klaus takes another bite of the butternut squash soup. "Mmm. And I think we should have this soup on the menu."

The menu is the last thing on my mind as I ask, "How exactly do you plan on raising money at a house party?"

Marcellus leans forward in his seat to explain. "Well the idea is that people have to pay a minimum donation to the project in order to come to the party. We send out invites to the rich and powerful of the area and give them a night to remember. In return, they drop a bunch of cash and we use it to fund the cultural foundation project."

Klaus nods. "We will need a woman's touch of course."

I sit back in my seat. "Naturally." I smile. "Alright then. Let's discuss."

The day of the dinner party comes a month later and brings with it a load of stress for me. The amount of planning that went into every detail makes me miss Rebekah terribly. She would have loved this kind of thing. In fact, I am certain that if she were here she would've been the one running this thing and it would be ten times better than my efforts have churned out.

The guest arrivals are fast approaching as I try to get the final details in place with the meal. Klaus walks into the kitchen already dressed and straightening out cuffs and collars when he spots me. "Julia! What are you doing? You need to get dressed."

"What?" I ask in confusion looking down at my sensible dress that I tend to use on hot days spent in the even hotter kitchen.

"Well you can't very well co-host a party dressed like that. Now put someone else in charge and get dressed. We haven't got all day!"

I huff in confusion at his insistence and his demanding tone. The latter doesn't really confuse me but the former seems odd considering I assumed I would be running things behind the scene while he and Marcellus worked the crowd.

Evening gowns had never been an important part of my wardrobe so I invade Rebekah's closet. The lovely yellow satin gown in the back of the wardrobe catches my eye. It's lovely. Simple. Elegant. Not over the top and more sensible with the off the shoulder capped sleeves rather then many of the puffy monstrosities I'd seen make an appearance in high society lately. Much more practical if I needed to slip away and check on things.

I'm setting my gloves in place in the full length mirror when a knock sounds at the door. "Come in!"

"I must say you are a vision to behold."

My eyes catch the owner of the voice in the reflection of the mirror and I turn with a smile. "Elijah!"

I quickly embrace him before pulling back to see his face. "I've missed you. No one else can quite keep up with literature discussions."

He smiles. "We must discuss your latest read before I head out again."

"Are you in town long?"

He shakes his head. "Not long. There is still much to be done. I only came back to support Nicklaus's efforts for the city. I must say, I'm relieved that you're still here. I thought for sure he would lock you away when your relationship to Marcel came out."

"Klaus and I were able to come to an understanding."

"Hm. Yes. I'm not sure I entirely understand what's going through his mind. Particularly tonight. When you're ready, Nicklaus would like to introduce you. If you're ready now I'll tell him we can start."

I look down at myself and smooth my hands down my skirt. "Tell me honestly. How do I look?"

He smiles kindly at me. "You look beautiful."

"Thank you."

He inclines his head and begins to head back to the main hall. "Just listen for your name before you make your grand entrance."

I huff a laugh and take one last look at myself in the mirror when he is gone. The golden color suits me. I can't pretend I understand the game that Niklaus is playing but I suppose I don't really have any other choice besides playing.

I head down the hall and listen at the top of the staircase. "A marvelous human being and kind woman without which tonight would never have come to pass. May I present - Miss Julia Rochelle!"

I strengthen my resolve and step out onto the staircase and people follow their host in applauding my presence. Klaus stands at the bottom of the staircase waiting for me as I descend. My arm slips into his as we begin to make our way into the main hall where the guests will mingle before dinner is served.

"That was quite an entrance. You look positively radiant," Klaus says to me quietly.

"Well that was quite the introduction. What game are you playing here? I wasn't expecting to play hostess tonight."

"Well. With Rebekah...indisposed at the moment I needed someone. And besides. You're good with people. You're the one who agreed to work for me. You're also the one who suggested getting the people involved. So. Get them involved. I'll get us a drink."

I find myself alone suddenly and feeling oddly exposed without his presence at my side. I make my way from person to person, introducing myself and becoming familiar with their names and professions, getting a sense for the people of New Orleans.

Klaus returns with a flute of champagne as we continue making our way through the crowd making nice with the people whose money we are wanting to acquire. It's the most exhausting political game I've ever witnessed let alone played.

Idle chit chat continues through dinner until the dances start. I am surprised when Klaus leads me to the floor.

"I'm not a very adept dancer."

"Nonsense," he says. "All you have to do is follow my lead."

We dance for a moment before I speak my mind. "What are doing Klaus? Why parade me around among all these people. You're going to start a scandal."

"Think, Julia. You're the one who said to involve the people. You're people. I wasn't mistaken. You've connected very well with the population here. Every woman in this room wishes she was you and every man wishes he was with you," he says with a self satisfied smirk.

Realization begins to dawn on me. "You're using me to humanize you to these people. If you want the support of the human population what better way to get it than to show that the human race has a voice in your ear."

He spins me out in the waltz and then back again. "Exactly. Very clever."

"There would've been other ways to have done it."

"Ah but see, the other ways wouldn't be so believable. Any good deeds done solely by me wouldn't look genuine and I need them to believe it's genuine if I'm going to get the reverence with the fear. Two sides of the coin remember. I've established fear easily enough. It will be harder to establish the other. But you. With your performance tonight, the people will believe that the Mikaelsons can play nice with a human."

The pace begins to slow and Klaus is uncomfortably close. "And the best part is that I have Marcel. And you will not leave him. Which means that you are loyal to a fault and I have you for all my new projects. We made a deal remember?"

"How could I forget," I say as the dance ends.

The rest of the night goes smoothly and the results are more than favorable. The people have something to gossip about, the money is in for a cultural center in New Orleans, and the rich and powerful believe they had something to do with it. All the while solidifying Klaus's power.

"May I have this dance Miss Rochelle," Elijah requests.

"You may." I smile and join Elijah on the dance floor. "You're leaving tomorrow aren't you?"

He nods sadly. "For one I think it will be best for Marcel and Klaus to have their space. And for two I am upset with my brother for his treatment of our dear sister. I must mourn her in my own way."

"In the meantime, where does that leave me?"

"I think that you are more than holding your own to be honest. You have the whole party tonight eating out of your hand. You've done an admirable job with Marcellus. And it seems that Klaus has decided you are useful to him. As long as you continue you to be useful, then you will be just fine."

"I hope you're right, Elijah." The dance ends and I seek out my son. "Marcellus!" I lower my voice and smile at him. "Come dance with your mother."

He smiles back at me and I laugh as he spins me on the floor. His face turns serious as he looks at me. "Are you doing ok?"

"Of course. Why?"

"All through my childhood you very careful not to involve yourself with Klaus. And now…I don't know. I worry."

"It's ok my son. Klaus and I are getting along just fine."

"What happens when you disagree on something? Because you will disagree and we have seen what he does to those he disagrees with."

"Hey. It's going to be okay. I know you miss Rebekah. So do I. Very much. But it's not going to be forever."

"Why do you defend him? Even as a child you would defend him."

"I'm not trying to justify his actions. But if we don't try to understand then we're all going to end up in a never ending cycle of pain. I didn't want that for you as a child and I don't want that for you now. Be patient. It will be okay."

I can only hope that I am telling him the truth.


	9. Chapter 9: The Most Powerful Woman

**Here's another somewhat shorter chapter. The plot bunnies are starting to run wild with this story now. Things are starting to take shape and oh boy the feels. Also, is it against the rules to start shipping my OC with one of the Mikaelson brothers? Because if so, I have broken the rule. *nervous laughter* Read on!**

How I ever thought that immortality would drag on I don't remember. But time marches on at a pace that seems to speed up a beat every other year.

The New Orleans Cultural Foundation Benefit dinner hosted by Niklaus Mikaelson becomes a yearly event. I'm able to get away with not aging for a while, but eventually people start to notice and I bring it up with Klaus.

"It may be best if I stay behind the scenes for the next decade or so. At least long enough for people to forget my face."

His eyes narrow at me. "That may be best yes. You've never explained to me how it is that you're not aging. You're not a vampire and you don't seem to be a witch either."

"Nope. Just cursed by one. Something about living long enough to regret my choice to side with you. Marcellus was still a child at the time. I didn't feel it was relevant."

"Is there a threat there do you think?"

"No. At least not right now. It's been nearly 30 years past. No sense in panicking over it."

"Perhaps you're right. Very well. I don't need your human presence aiding me at the moment anyway. And if you really are not going to age then that would defeat the point anyway. They'd all assume that I'd turned you."

Marcellus doesn't let it go so easily when we speak of it days later. "Are you absolutely certain that you aren't in any danger?"

"It's fine dear. If I was going to be attacked I would've been already."

"But if there's a witch that hated you enough to tie you to the Mikaelsons then surely she wouldn't just let it go."

"Marcel. Breathe. We can't live our lives in fear of something that might happen. If it comes up we'll deal with it. Besides. I'm far more scared of Klaus then I am of some witch who hasn't been around since you were a boy. It'll be fine."

I blink and another decade or two passes. I begin attending the benefit again, if for no other reason then to interact with more people again. I'm severely lacking in female companionship. The ache of Rebekah's absence doesn't seem to ebb away at all, even with time.

The faces are all new and I begin the process of relearning it all again. By this time Klaus and Elijah both have made names for themselves as some of the most powerful and influential men in the city and therefore have also made themselves New Orleans most eligible bachelors (which Klaus certainly takes advantage of even if Elijah doesn't). It's not something I thought much of until all of a sudden I have a gaggle of young women being equal parts jealous of and admiring me.

One slightly older woman who I feel I connect better with given my actual age sheds some light on it for me. "Don't let them bother you dear. They all wish they could be on one of the Mikaelson brothers arm and you seem to have them both in equal measure."

"I assure you that there is nothing they have to be jealous of. I'm simply the housekeeper."

"Even better. You not only work in close proximity to them daily, you're also obviously friendly enough with them to be kept in high comfort," she responds while eyeing my expensive clothing and jewelry.

"I suppose over the years they have become more family then employers."

"Well either way. I would snatch one of them while you're still in a position to do so. A husband may be the head of his household but the wife is the neck. Think where you could turn the head of powerful men like them," she says as she gestures to the brothers across the hall engaging in deep conversation with the city's elite.

I doubt either of them would be so easily controlled as this woman seems to think. But there's not much I can say to the contrary of what she is saying. She would say I'm wasting a perfectly good opportunity to have power and to be honest I am perfectly content with my life and my position.

Another woman who was obviously eavesdropping turns into the conversation. "Oh please Mrs. Fletcher. She doesn't need to make a husband of either of them to gain power. She came in on Niklaus Mikaelson's arm. She's already the most powerful woman in New Orleans."

The title brings to mind Rebekah. Sweet dear Rebekah should be here. She should be walking these halls with me. She should be planning these banquets. She should be the most powerful woman in the room.

I don't want it.

I take a long sip from my champagne and excuse myself from the conversation. Enough is enough. No more letting Klaus pretend his sister is just on vacation.

I try to be smart about it. Demanding her release would surely backfire on me so I choose to go the more subtle route.

And by subtle I mean that I mention her constantly or set up reminders of her everywhere. I start out slow but eventually it becomes a near daily thing.

_"Which China do you think Rebakah would prefer? We need a new set."_

_"Rebekah would love these new curtains don't you think? She was always partial to this color."_

_"Oh Rebekah would love that painting. We should hang it in her room for her."_

At first it seems no one notices what I'm up too. Eventually Marcel catches on and begins to cautiously bring her up more often as well. After awhile, Elijah starts eyeing me every time I mention her name, but says nothing.

I'm reading in the sun room while Klaus paints one afternoon when he mentions it. "It's been awhile since we've been graced by my sisters presence."

"Nearly fifty years," I respond without looking up.

"Mention her again while thinking I don't know what you're doing and it may be another fifty."

I look up at him at that. "What if I mention her completely aware that you know what I'm doing?"

"I'll release her when I'm ready to release her. Not a moment before."

"Very well."

I drop it for two years before Klaus finally brings it up on his own. We bring her down from the attic and place her in her own bed. Seeing her brings me guilt, and I do not know if I can handle being there when she awakes. I can't bare to see her look at me in betrayal.

Marcellus will not be so lucky. Klaus wouldn't allow him to be out for the occasion. Rebekah understandably is upset with him.

Seeing me doesn't make her happy either. "Rebakah. It's good to see you."

I go to hug her. But she steps back. "I know it's not your fault. But it seems you've made friends with my brother since I was away. You all left me to rot with a dagger in my chest and I'm not sorry that I can't forgive you. Not right now."

I hang my head. "For what it's worth...I am sorry. I wanted so badly to yank that dagger out of your heart but I just...I was a coward."

"I don't really blame you. Nik is the one at fault. Marcellus is the one who had the choice to shorten my sentence or not. I will forgive you soon enough. But them, I will not."

Over the coming years, she does forgive me. And like she always does she comes to forgive her brother as well. Marcellus hurt her the most, and no matter how much she insists that she will never love him again, I don't believe her. It will take more time to get over that betrayal, and yet, I know that she will.

I am grateful for her when the next benefit comes around. She is brilliant at all the details and gives me the ability to focus on what I feel best at. My attention is no longer pulled into a hundred different directions.

When she enters the room at the next event, the whole world seems to stop. Her golden hair still shines like sunlight, her eyes are bright and her smile seems to warm each person as she welcomes them to her home. Her brothers stand proudly by her side.

I observe the room as she takes it by storm and smile. I am no longer the most powerful woman in the room.


	10. Chapter 10: Changes and Constants

**Look at that! Mikaelson Christmas party today of all days. I didn't plan that at all but there ya go. **

**So I started mapping out where I wanted this to go and I hit a point where I realized that there needed to be a break of some kind. So! We are going to be getting a sequel out of this puppy.**

**Happy Holidays! *smirks***

Apparently releasing one sibling from a daggered slumber opens discussions to release another. And for my part, I am not thrilled by the idea. But one cannot deter Klaus from anything when he set his mind to it, which is how I end up skirting around Kol as much as possible.

Something about Kol makes me uneasy. He is restless. And anytime he appears in my dreams it is always surrounded by bloodshed and loss. It's like something in him is missing, or broken, and he is desperately trying to fill or distract himself from that void.

Things seem to stay in a tenuous calm for a time. But little by little tensions rise.

Marcel and I are enjoying a quiet breakfast together in the kitchen like old times when Klaus comes in, speaking quietly, "Marcel."

We both look up at him. "I need you to look into something for me," he says with a grim smile pulling at his face.

It wasn't difficult for the two men to suspect Kol for the slaughter at the parish. And it took even less time to figure out his intended target. A perfect paragon diamond, although the why was fuzzy enough.

The Christmas party is occurs very shortly after Marcel and Klaus stopped Kol from keeping his hands on the diamond. I am passing through the halls when I overhear Rebekah and Kol's voices.

"And I'm simply going to tell Nik!"

"Wait!" I hear Kol stop her. "What if I said I'm close to finishing a dagger that would work on him?"

I hold my breath as Rebekah answers. "You wouldn't _dare_ use it."

"Why? It's no more than he's done to us. And _you've_ suffered at his hands more than anyone! And, it's not like we'd be killing him. Just giving you some time to be with Marcel. And perhaps Elijah can spend more time in his boring book discussions with the little housekeeper you're all so fond of."

"You're entirely serious."

"Haven't we both earned the right to live out of his shadow? Are you with me, sister?"

I'm not sure what I expect her response to be but it's not: "You can count me in. But...do hurry downstairs, and throw on one of Nik's jackets. He'll notice your absence if you're late."

When she exits the room and sees me, she smiles mischievously before taking my hand and holding a finger to her lips, pulling us away from Kol and his prying ears. "We need to tell Nik."

I sigh in relief. "Dear lord Rebekah. For a moment there I thought you were going to do something stupid."

"Nonsense. Kol has been making a mess of things and New Orleans is my home too. I won't have him undo all of the work we've done."

I nod. "Right. Well then. You find Elijah. I'll get Klaus. They'll want to discuss how to handle this."

The discussion we have goes exactly how I expect it to. "We need to make an example of him," Klaus says.

"Perhaps you are right brother. We can't have people believing that they can defy and betray us," Elijah says in matter of fact way.

Rebekah stands rather defiantly. "Kol has been nothing but irritating since we woke him. I for one would be happy to make an example of him."

I raise my eyebrow at all of them. "You do realize that making an example of him at tonight's party will only serve to confuse those that I have no idea what's going on and will simply tip off his accomplices that we are aware they exist? Keep the family matter just that. A family matter. His witchy cohorts will be unsettled by his sudden disappearance and reveal themselves in their panic."

"And how exactly does that help us? If the witches think they can get away with their betrayal they will try again on their own," Eliah states.

"You have witches of your own. You allow your witch allies to deal with their own treachery and no one feels like territory is being compromised, which is important if you want to keep the peace after the witches civil war that has been brewing for the last decade."

Rebekah sighs. "She's right. If we make dealing with Kol too public, the humans get nervous and start making stupid decisions and the witches that we do have on our side will feel as though we are meddling in their affairs. Kol's followers betrayed them as much as they betrayed us."

Klaus looks somewhat perturbed at the idea but grudgingly nods his head. "We shall compromise." He then tells us his plan.

Not long later as the party is beginning, Rebekah and I walk arm and arm through the crowd as we happen upon a lovely blonde witch near the bottom of the stairs. "You're here with my brother. A word of advice? A witch as lovely as you has no business dating Kol."

"Oh, it's not really a date."

I touch her arm. "You can do better." Images flicker across my eyes. A little girl torn from her family. A love lost to death. Large portions of time missing in darkness. I blink it all away deciding now is not the time to ponder it and Rebekah and I continue on toward the stairs. I take my place at the bottom just below Rebekah. I do not understand anything of what I just saw and I do not comprehend the gravity of what just happened, but I am suddenly feeling relieved that tonight's events will not include publicly stabbing Kol in the heart.

"As you know," Klaus begins, "when the Mikaelsons arrived in Louisiana, we brought with us the tradition of holiday bonfire season. Now, we invite you chosen few to join us in our family's own tradition of writing wishes for each other and burning them for luck. The holidays are a time for celebrating family, and friends."

Kol begins to look nervous at his sister's smirk and Marcel's look of satisfaction.

"It is especially gratifying in times when treachery runs deep. To know you have someone you can trust. A toast, to you, my sister."

The room lifts there glasses. "To Rebekah!"

Kol turns and rushes up the steps. He is allowed to go as far as it takes for him to be out of sight before Klaus and Elijah disappear after him. It's but a moment later that Klaus reappears at the top of the banister. "My apologies ladies and gentlemen. It appears my brother was not feeling well. But let's not let it spoil the rest of our evening. To New Orleans."

He raises his glass and the room follows. "To New Orleans."

The incident is all but forgotten in a matter of minutes. The guests are too distracted by the revelry of the evening. Marcellus becomes distracted by dancing with Rebakah, and while I can't hear the conversation, it is plain to me that he is trying to get her to take a risk with him again. That he wants her forgiveness. But she won't give in.

"The world is changing. War is brewing here and across the Atlantic and most people stay oblivious," Klaus says as he appears next to me.

"Everything changes. It's the way of things. Evolve or die."

He raises and eyebrow. "Evolve or live in our case."

I laugh. "Truly."

He smirks slightly and holds out his arm to me. "Not everything changes."

I smile and take his arm as he leads to the dance floor. Truly. Some things stay the same.


	11. Chapter 11: Dear Mother

**This may just be my favorite chapter of this I've written thus far. **

**Marcel's letters are heavily influenced by letters that have been preserved from WWI. I wanted them to have authenticity so I read through some. Consider this a disclaimer. I do not own The Originals nor do I own the horrific experiences of the brave men who fought against tyranny. Long may their memory live. **

Over the many years that I have been ageless it seems that I have forgotten one important detail about immortality: even we can find ways to die eventually. While humans face their mortality, the immortals of the world do not. They grow reckless. They grow callous.

Marcellus is perhaps the worst of us.

When war breaks out oversees and the call goes out, he answers. And despite my efforts to convince him to stay, he is not swayed. He is bound and determined to run off to war, and for the first time in a long time I am forced to consider the true mortality of the man I raised as my son.

Like so many of the other mother's around me, I feel fear for our young men. I fear for his life. Even a vampire can die in battle under the right circumstances. And even beyond that, war is not a trivial thing. It is bloody and brutal and has an uncanny ability to change a man.

There may have once been a time that Klaus and I would disagree on what is best for who we both call son, but not today.

"You are not leaving this bloody house, Marcel!" Klaus shouts at him as he stands in a newly minted soldiers uniform.

Marcel pulls out a letter and hands it to Klaus. "My enlistment papers say otherwise." Klaus scans the words on the page, fuming, while Marcel continues to explain. "369th Regiment. They call them the 'Harlem Hell Fighters.' Boat leaves tomorrow."

I swallow hard to keep my tears at bay, reaching for the letter that Klaus reluctantly releases into my hands. "Is this lunacy because I forbid you to be with Rebekah?" he asks.

Marcel's gaze snaps fire. I do my best to steady my voice. "This is senseless Marcel. To fight in a human war...it's pointless. Your family is here."

Marcel snatches the letter from my hands and Klaus begins to rant. "So, now you're going off to fight the Germans? Fine. Go. But remember, Marcel...Julia is right. _This_ is your home! _I _am your family! _We_ are your family. And if you haven't learned that in the century since I took you in, then _learn it now!"_

Marcel's gaze lands on the floor in shame while Klaus continues. "Family are not just people who coddle you, who grant you your every whim. They are people who fight for you! Who you fight _for! _And if this family endeavors to stop you from making a tragic error of the heart, then by all means, express your discontent! But what you _do not do_ is abandon us!"

Marcel looks up and his gaze turns hard. Without a word, he reaches down and slings his bag over his shoulder before heading for the door.

"Marcel…" my voice catches in my throat and a tear falls. My gut swims with nausea. Klaus's voice thunders out the door on Marcel's heels. "Fine. Go! You'll be back!"

I press a hand over my mouth to suppress a sob. Klaus's hand comes to rest on my shoulder. "The prodigal son always returns home, Julia. He'll come home."

I feel numb with worry over the next few months as I wait for any word from Marcellus. When it finally comes my hands are shaking and I can barely open the letter.

_Dear Mother,_

_We have been in France for a couple of weeks now and you will be pleased to hear that I am getting on quite well. They have equipped my unit and put us through drills. I expect we are as prepared as we can be for what lies ahead. _

_We have had little spare time since we have been training here. Having been through company drill mixed with route marches, physical drill, semaphore, knot tying and frog, long jumping etc. So I am sorry it has taken me so long to write. Please know that I am well and feel that I have made the right decision. _

_I will write again when I can. _

_Always and Forever_

_Your son, Marcellus_

The letters come sporadically and they are always addressed to me. But that doesn't stop me from sharing them with Klaus whom I know worries for him as much as I do.

When the letters come I keep them sealed until we both have a moment. We sit together in the study, him at his desk and me on the couch off to the side in front of the fireplace.

_Dear Mother,_

_We were here barely a day before they sent us to the trenches. I lost count of the days while we were there, being bombarded by shells day in and day out. But don't fret yourself mother. After a time we were pulled from the trenches to go to what is called a Rest Camp. It is from there that I find the time to write to you, and let you know that I am alright. _

_I feel that I am beginning to make friends with the men here. We are all here, fighting side by side. Talking about anything and everything is a welcome distraction from the mud and fire. Spending so much time with them is starting to make it difficult to continue hiding my true nature but I believe that I am managing. _

_We are starting to gain a reputation in the trenches. They have taken to calling us the "Brotherhood of the damned" as we are so bound and determined to hold the line. We have lost some good men, but we have managed to make it through and in the end I can only hope we will all be made stronger for it. _

_I must sign off now as I am running out of paper. _

_Always and Forever_

_Your son, Marcellus_

My arms fall into my lap as I huff in frustration. "This is getting ridiculous. This bloody war is senseless and there is no reason for Marcel to even be there."

"Do you blame me for keeping him and Rebekah apart?"

"Rebekah is currently still angry at him anyway. Until she forgives him there is no danger of them picking up where they left off. But despite all of that, I have to say I don't fully understand your aversion to it. They make each other happy."

He seems ready to retort but I pay him no mind. "None of that matters. This is what matters." I hold up the letter. "Your son is being idiotic."

He smirks at me. "Oh, so he's my son when he's being idiotic is he? And here I thought that part was your fault."

It makes me laugh and for that I am grateful.

Months pass. And then a year. Letters come even more sporadically than before. For a time I almost think that another letter isn't coming. That something dreadful has happened. Klaus doesn't seem to panic.

"I taught him well. He knows how to fight. He'll survive. I can't say the same for anyone who crosses him."

Finally a letter arrives.

_Dear Mother,_

_The old adage that war is hell is true. We are the "Brotherhood of the Damned" and we have been damned to hell. Our commander has been killed in action. My friend Joe is urging me to take leadership. The men desperately need it and I fear they have started to see me as some kind of angel or god. No mere mortal can take bullets and live. But just because I can survive it doesn't mean it is not at all painful. The worst pain is the hunger. I fear that that the commanding officers outside of the trenches have abandoned us. _

My hands begin to shake and my voice catches in my throat. I squeeze my eyes shut as if I can erase the horrors and the anger he has poured into the page. Klaus moves to the couch beside me and gently begins to take the letter from me.

"Perhaps it would be best not to read this one."

I hand grips his wrist. "No. Please. I need to hear it. I need to know what's happening. I need to know he'll be okay."

Klaus nods. "Do you want to keep reading or shall I?"

I bite my lip and steady my breath. "Could you?"

In an uncharacteristic gesture, Klaus holds my hand and begins to read from where I left off in a soft voice.

_The worst pain is the hunger. I fear that the commanding officers outside of the trenches have abandoned us. _

_No food. No water. No supplies. The Germans have acquired mustard gas and it is only a matter of time before my men begin to drop like flies. _

_I am starving and my men are bleeding and I don't know how long I can go without feeding on one of them but I refuse to do it. You taught me better than that. _

_I have never believed in God. I have never believed in some benevolent mystical higher power and yet I find myself praying. Praying for the pain to end. Praying for the hunger to ebb away. Praying that I can get my men through this. They fight for me and I fight for them and they have become my family in this god forsaken wasteland of blood, sweat, and fire. _

_I am sorry that I write so harshly, Mother. But I can't show fear to these men. I have to be strong. More than anything, I just want to sit in the kitchen with your warm cookies and milk._

_Always and Forever_

_Your son, Marcellus_

I can feel Klaus's anger but he does his best to keep it hidden from me as he holds me and I cry. Over the next several days I am drained and exhausted.

Every night it takes forever for me to get to sleep. Visions of blood and screams and pain flash before my eyes. I finally find rest several days later only to be awakened by a hand gently shaking my shoulder.

"Julia."

"Hmm?"

"Julia. I don't want you to be alarmed but there's something I need to do. I'm going to be gone for a few days."

I manage to pull myself from sleep enough to half sit up and force my eyes to focus on Klaus as he sits next to me on the bed. What little light that is coming through the window illuminates his face and I can see the determined set of his jaw.

"Okay. Why are you telling me?" I say confused.

"Because we've spent time together every day since Marcel left and I didn't want you to think I had abandoned you as well. I'll be back."

I'm too tired to really digest what is happening so I just nod. "Okay. Well. Do what you need to do. Thank you for telling me?"

It sounds as though he huffs a laugh before gently making me lay back down. "Get some sleep. Everything will be back to normal in a couple of days."

I don't protest and sleep claims me nearly immediately.

As the following days pass slowly, I find myself being extremely grateful that Klaus told me that he was going to be gone. With both he and Marcellus gone I feel lost. Elijah finds himself extremely busy with city matters in Klaus's absence and Rebekah has been keeping busy doing charity work to raise money for the war effort. I join her daily as is my habit but it doesn't fill the days as much as I would like. I hadn't realized how much I had come to rely on Klaus's company in the last year and a half or so.

When Klaus returns, it is late. I hear him slam his bedroom door shut behind him and something in me pushes me to make sure he's okay. That whatever business he had out of town can be worked out.

I knock on the door and he opens it looking furious. He steps back for me to enter and then continues to pace the room as I shut the door behind me so he doesn't disturb the rest of the house.

"Klaus?" I say after a moment.

"I tried. But he's stubborn and insolent and ungrateful! And to think that he just had to write what he did is just selfish and bloody insensitive to the woman who raised him! You don't make your mother worry more than she already does!"

My mind reels with the bombardment of information that he just threw at me. My brain quickly makes the connection that he must be talking about Marcel. And I nearly fall over with the realization that he called me his mother in a roundabout way. Up until this moment Klaus has never truly acknowledged it in so many words.

"You just don't!" he emphasizes.

Of its own accord, my body steps forward and stops him in his tracks. My hands rest on his chest. "You went to find Marcellus?"

He swallows and nods. "He left us. And that bloody letter made you cry. Enough is enough." He presses his hands over mine and looks at me. "I'm sorry. I wasn't going to tell you. I failed and now he's still there in that bloody war and…"

I free one my hands bring it to his face to get him to stop. "Hey. You tried. You tried to bring him back to me and I can't...I can't tell you how much that means to me." Emotion wells up in my throat and I lose all ability to speak.

His gaze pierces into my soul and the air grows thick. My eyes flicker down to his lips and then back up to his eyes. His eyes shift their intensity before our century long orbit finally breaks and his lips crash into mine like an object falls with gravity.

Decades of camaraderie collide. Years of working in tandem - in dance - makes this dance simple. Months of worrying over OUR son and grieving together explodes and I take comfort from him like my lungs take air. I cannot tell him what him going after Marcellus to bring him home means to me, but through the course of the night, I show him.


	12. Chapter 12: Crown of Thorns

**I'm so glad you all seemed to like the last chapter. :D Here's another for your reading pleasure. *smirk***

* * *

Light streams through the curtains and beckons me to come back to the waking world. A strong arm tightens around me and warm breath gently heats the back of my neck and shoulder. As the man behind me begins to stir awake, I find myself biting my lip in worry. What if last night was just a heat of the moment kind of thing and I've ruined my standing in this family forever?

"Good morning, love." Klaus's voice in my ear makes all thoughts disappear and I find myself smiling. I turn in his arms and my eyes meet his.

"Good morning."

He smiles and languidly kisses me as we become more and more awake with the rising sun outside the window.

Surprisingly, not much changes in the coming days. We still spend much of our time together. He still continues to run the city with tight control. I still continue to run the house like it's my own smaller version of the city. We choose not to make it a well known fact as of yet. It's barely acknowledged by us, let alone the rest of our acquaintances. Really, the only discernible change is that when night falls, Klaus pulls me into his room behind him and I follow with quiet laughter.

Several days later, I find myself sitting at a vanity in what I suppose should now be considered our shared quarters, releasing my long hair from it's confines of modern hair fashions. It's better to sleep in a braid then to deal with the tangled mess in the morning. Klaus enters the room, removing his jacket and shoes and smiling at me as our gazes meet in the mirror.

"I prefer your hair that way," he says. "Loose and flowing down your back."

I laugh. "Of course you do. It's the most irritating way to wear it. Not to mention not exactly acceptable in public."

"All the better for my eyes only." I can't help the heat that rises to my face.

I decide to change the subject. "Any news on the Volstead Act?"

Klaus smirks. "It's seeming more and more likely that Congress will pass it."

"You don't seem upset by that," I say in confusion. If there's one thing I know Klaus enjoys, it's his alcohol. If it were to become illegal I would've thought that would be an irritation.

"On the contrary. I see it as a tremendous opportunity. Think of it. Prohibition goes into effect, the vice of the masses becomes something dangerous and taboo, and you know how people feel the allure of doing something forbidden. The black market is about to overflow with liquid courage and people are going to be willing to pay through the nose for even a drop."

I turn in my seat to look at him properly. He stands there looking smug and I can't help the upward turn of my lips as I admire his cleverness. "You control the ports in one of the largest cities in the country, and many of the jazz clubs that are becoming so popular to boot. If the Volstead Act passes, you don't just own the locations, you own the very people feeling the need to use your services."

"It will pass," he says confidently.

As my mind runs through the details of how such a venture would work, my smile begins to fade in concentration. "You're going to need man power. Not to mention the support of other supernatural factions among the quarter. And if you want to continue your somewhat low profile then you're going to need a patsy, especially as this is becoming a legal game."

He nods thoughtfully and then smiles as he pulls me up from my seat and begins to back me toward the bed. "Have I told you lately how much I love your strategist mind?"

"I don't believe you have," I say playfully.

"Well...I love your mind." He kisses me quickly. "What would you have in mind in regards to those issues you have so thoughtfully brought to my attention?"

My arms snake around his neck. I pause briefly in thought before answering. "The Gurrera family may be a wise choice to get involved. They have the manpower and they are a well known werewolf family amongst the supernatural community who have a reputation for crime already."

He smirks and pulls me ever closer. "Brilliant. I'll open a dialogue. I'm sure Elijah will be pleased as well. You're much better at diplomacy than I."

"Hmmm. No more business talk."

"Agreed."

We don't talk the rest of the night.

Klaus is right. The Volstead Act is passed and Prohibition begins. New businesses rise underground. The jazz clubs become more secretive. Attendance goes through the roof and I find myself enjoying the new direction of not only the music, but of my life in general. I worry less for Marcel, but I don't forget completely. Klaus and I discuss him from time to time, one or the other of us trying to calm the other as they become angry, frustrated or upset over his choices.

Barely weeks after Prohibition begins, the war ends. People flood the streets in happiness. Our troops are coming home. The underground speakeasies bring in more revenue that night then the entirety of the weeks leading up to it. To say that the entire Mikaelson family is pleased by that turn of events is an understatement.

In all of this, all I can think about is that my son is coming home. Marcellus is coming home.

It is a cause for a celebration and Klaus agrees with me. Let the past be the past. The boy is returning from war.

The welcome home party is nothing less than extravagant. The music is upbeat and lively. People are in a celebratory mood without prompting. When Marcel enters the room my smile grows and I rush to him.

"Marcellus!" I throw my arms around him and hold him close.

His bags drop to the floor and he returns my embrace. "Hello Mother."

"The prodigal son returns!" Klaus's voice booms to us. He looks at us, equal parts amused and relieved to see the man he raised returned to us.

"Klaus," Marcel greets. The tension between them is not completely clear and I resist the urge to roll my eyes.

I breathe a sigh of relief when the slight tension breaks and Klaus slaps a hand on his shoulder and they begin to move further into the room side by side once again.

Marcel's eyes catch on Rebekah and my attention turns to her. Her reaction is cold and she turns away from him. I sigh. She still hasn't forgiven him yet and I suppose I cannot blame her.

I join Marcel and Klaus at the table and we enjoy a toast and a meal as the party continues on around us. The subject matter is kept light by all of us, no one wanting to discuss the horrors of the war Marcel just returned from.

Lana, the crescent wolf alpha strolls over to the table and leans on the back of Klaus's chair before bending down to speak quietly into his ear. His face takes on an impassive mask, giving nothing away. When she pulls back he glances up at her. "You may take it up with Miss Rochelle if she is so inclined to hear you." He looks to me. "Today need not be a day for business if you so desire my dear."

I look up at Lana while Marcel watches our exchange in confusion and interest. "How urgent is your matter?"

"It is time sensitive," she answers. She redirects her attention to Klaus, obviously laying on her charm. "But I assure you it won't take too much of your time."

Klaus doesn't look amused by her advances and I feel no jealousy on the matter. He has given me no reason to think that his interests are split and I feel there is no reason to be upset that he turns the heads of many of the women in the room. He looks to me and I read the unspoken request in his eyes. _Handle this quickly. _

I nod my understanding and stand smoothly. "Lana my dear. Let us go discuss somewhere more private."

She graciously nods her ascent, knowing when she's been beaten. She looks to Klaus once more for his final word on the matter. "Consider anything she says to be gospel. She speaks for me freely. Anything she agrees to will be honored."

She smiles and nods before following me from the room for us to discuss the matter of her pack's involvement with the growing smuggling business under the Mikaelson's rule.

A few short days pass and I begin to worry about Marcel. It's almost as though he is avoiding me and I do not understand why. I finally manage to catch him in the kitchen after dinner one night. "Marcellus. Please tell me what troubles you."

"Who said anything about me being troubled? I'm fine."

"You're not. As a child, any time you avoided me is because there was something wrong. So out with it."

His face takes the form of anger and he looks at me with barely contained rage. "He's a hypocrite. He wants me to stay away from his sister but for some reason it's okay for him to pursue you. My mother. What gives him the right to decide? And you? You always supported him. Even when I was a child and you were scared to even let him know that you existed. You wanted nothing to do with power when I was a newly turned vampire. Yet here you are playing Queen to his King."

I am taken aback by what feels like sudden hostility from my point of view. I desperately try to see it from his. But I simply can't. Or perhaps I won't. "That is harsh Marcel. He wants what is best for you. We both do. What happened with Rebekah was a long time ago and from where I sit, she's not exactly responding to your current advances anyway. Until she does, there is no reason to hold a grudge. He wanted to protect her from heartbreak should you choose to be human. He didn't want you to become the monster he thinks of himself as. But you made a choice. And now you have an eternity to get to the point you want to be. You and Rebekah have time."

I take a breath before continuing. "As for your accusations against me...people grow Marcellus. I will admit I was afraid. But that was over a century ago and you can't expect me to stay the same. Again, eternity is a long time. But here's what I know in this moment. You left Marcel. You left us. You left me. You were gone for over a year and I needed comfort and company. Both of which Klaus provided me. He still provides it to me. In return I help him with his business. It's not about power to me. It's about keeping the place we call home in order. It's about keeping it safe for all of us. For you."

I shake my head and pinch the bridge of my nose. My son looks at me grimly. "I apologize. You can live however you choose. I only want the chance to do the same. But in this matter perhaps I let my emotions get the best of my judgement."

I don't know if I believe his apology to be sincere but I nod. "It's alright. Emotional control is hard enough as a human. I can't imagine the heightened version as a vampire." I sigh. "Just don't mistake emotional bottling as emotional control. It's is not the same, and bottling them will just pressurize them into a ticking time bomb."

"Easier said than done."

I nod. "It is. But that's what makes it worth the effort."

A few days later, a sense of foreboding comes over me. But I cannot see. I cannot see what is coming but it tastes like destruction and like a fool, I ignore it.


	13. Chapter 13: Patience is a Virtue

**Oh man guys. It's only been a couple of days since my last update but the words are flowing so I am posting. A couple more chapters after this and we hit the point where we will make a clean break. I almost feel like this story has become a prequel to whatever it is my brain is going to throw at us when we catch up with the modern day. I am so pleased that so many of you have taken the time to follow, favorite and review. They really help me keep the motivation to keep writing. Thank you again. Onward!**

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I begin to notice a shift in Rebekah. Her cold approach to Marcel seems forced. In the meantime, Marcel is quicker to smile but coiled like a tense spring.

It amuses me that they think I don't know.

It worries me that they think Klaus won't find out.

We've all been down this path before and it didn't end well the first time. I don't imagine it will end any better this time unless something changes. They cannot take the same secretive approach. It puts Klaus on the defensive and he doesn't do well when he's backed into a corner. The wolf in him, although bound and trapped, lashes out whenever he is backed into that corner.

I decide that the best I can do is have a conversation with the secretive couple. Perhaps I can do damage control before anything really starts.

I manage to stumble upon them in a rather...compromising position. She's pinned to the wall with a leg hitched over his hip, his lips on her neck and I thank my luck that I have come in now rather than a few minutes from now. I clear my throat and they leap apart as if they've been burned.

"We can explain," Rebekah states while straightening up.

I raise my eyebrow. "While I am curious as to what sort of jumbled explanation you're going to concoct for this I think I will save you the trouble and just say what needs to be said."

They both swallow in their panic. Marcel's face turns hard. "I love her. I want to be with her. If you can choose to be with Klaus of all people then I should be able to make this decision."

Rebekah steps forward and takes his hand. I smile slightly at the united front they are putting forth. "You don't choose who you love. But other's should not have a say in the decision to act on it."

"It's not me that needs to be convinced. I am not trying to keep you apart," I begin.

Marcel interrupts me. "And yet you support Klaus in almost every way. You don't fight him."

"I choose my battles Marcel. Klaus is a stubborn man. A distrusting man. No one can change his mind over night which is why I wanted to come to you today and ask you both for time. You have never lost my approval but I want you to be able to be together without fear. I want you to have Klaus's blessing, and I am giving you my word. You will have it. But I need time. So please. Be patient."

They both look thoughtful. Rebekah squeezes his hand and nods her head at me. "We can do that."

"But we can't wait forever, Mother. We can't give you forever."

"I'm not asking you to. I am just asking that you be patient long enough for me to convince Klaus that it is not a bad idea. That it is better for you to be together than not. Like I said. It won't be over night. But I can and will get there."

They both agree to it, and I agonize over the rest of the day about how I will accomplish my goal. How do I broach the subject?

Oddly enough, I almost don't have to. As is our habit, Klaus paints in the sunroom while I sit off to the side with a book in my lap. My eyes stare at the page, unseeing, as I ponder my course of action. Klaus's voice catches my attention. "Whatever is bothering you, you might as well be out with it. You haven't held back the truth from me yet. Don't start now."

I give him a tight smile. "No. Never. But I'm afraid I don't quite know how to approach this particular subject."

He chuckles. "Like you approach everything else. Boldly and decisively, damn the consequences. A devil doesn't waste time being hesitant."

"Very well." I close the book and give him my full attention. "I understand that you must have reasoning behind your disapproval of Marcel and Rebekah forming an attachment. I have no idea what your reasoning is. Perhaps it is valid. But the fact of the matter is that they have formed an attachment and I doubt that keeping them apart is going to do anything to save them from whatever it is you're trying to protect them from."

His jaw twitches in barely contained frustration. "I am not blind to their affections. They aren't nearly as subtle as they think they are."

"No they are not." I smile slightly and attempt to lighten the conversation just a bit. "But neither have we lately."

The comment seems to catch him off guard. "They fancy themselves to be in love with each other. I don't think we are under any such delusion."

It's my turn to be caught off guard. I don't know what to make of the feeling that shoots through me. It has no name. But it passes quickly and I know that for the most part, I agree with him. "That may well be true. But I don't think we have to be _in love _with each other for us to have a certain amount of affection between us. Do you deny that?"

"Of course not."

"Then what is the difference? They have affection toward each other. They want to be together. They're going to find a way to do that whether they get your approval or not. So what is the point of withholding your blessing?"

"I can't afford for them to be weak." I furrow my brow in confusion and he takes that to mean he must explain his statement. "My family has been around for centuries. We have no shortage of enemies. Their attachment to each other makes them weak. Marcellus can be used against her. Or worse, Marcellus has the capacity to hurt her in ways that even our enemies cannot."

His voice becomes harsher with every word as his anger at the whole situation bubbles to the surface. "My sister has never been wise with her choices in her love life. And Marcellus...he is like a son to me. My best friend or as close to it as I can allow. And as a son as an heir, he inherits all of the carnage that we Mikaelson's have left in our wake. He can't afford to be distracted. None of us can."

"I understand," I say calmly in thought. "I don't think you're right but I understand it. Rebekah is your sister. Marcellus is your son. They have love between them that is a different kind then you feel for them but it's love nonetheless. For better or worse we are all family. And family is power. I don't think it makes them weak. It makes them strong."

I stand and straighten my skirt. "They are going to do what they want because they are their own people. In my mind it would be better for them to do it with your blessing than not. At least that way you can better keep an eye on any threats that arise. In secret, they are in fact exactly what you fear. They are weak."

I turn on my heel and leave the room quickly, not wanting to give him a chance to come back with another speech. I intend to let him simmer in my words for the rest of the day.

The last time I tried to convince Klaus of something, it took me several years. Rebekah remained daggered for a total of 52 years before he released her of his own volition. I hope it doesn't take as long to convince him to undagger her heart in the matter of Marcel. I don't know how long they can wait for me to bend his ear.

I try not to bring it up too often. But Klaus and I discuss it several more times as the days march forward.

"I understand. You think it makes them weak. But I still stand by the fact that family is power."

"You can't tell me that if someone threatened Marcel that you wouldn't do anything to protect him," Klaus counters.

"Of course I would! How does that make me weak?"

"You would betray your own self, your very convictions, to keep him out of harm's way. You would become a tool for the enemy."

"I would become unpredictable," I correct. "You look at any creature in the wild. What happens when the young are threatened? The mother becomes a force to be reckoned with. Threatening the one's I love doesn't put me at a disadvantage or a weakness. It emboldens me and makes me dangerous."

"The loss would not be worth it. No matter how dangerous you think you'll become. It's not always enough. And you are being purposely naive if you think otherwise!"

I huff in frustration and change tactics. "What am I, Klaus? Am I not a weakness? To Marcel, my son? To Rebekah, my sister? To Elijah, my friend?"

His eyes flash anger at me. "And to me, your lover? Is that what you want to know? That you have power over me? Because you don't."

"I never said that I did. I did not list you. I know that I'm a pawn in your game. I get that. Doesn't mean I can't enjoy what you can give me even if it's just what we have. That's fine. This is not about you and me. This is about a son and a sister that we share whether you like it or not. And it's about their happiness."

I pinch the bridge of my nose. "I have said the truth as I promised you. I won't bring it up again this year. But you're eventually going to see what I see. Not because I'm smarter than you but simply because I'm right."

When I sit in the kitchen a little while later I find myself with that feeling again. That nameless shot through my body and yet this time it lingers. I don't think I can pretend it's nameless any more but I refuse to acknowledge it to myself. I am a pawn. I am family to Marcellus. Not to Klaus. He has never made me any promises and it is not fair to expect anything of him. So why do I feel this? Why do I feel what shall remain nameless?

True to my word I drop the issue for the time being. I find myself sitting in a jazz club when Lana, the crescent wolf alpha, joins me.

"You gotta love the Big Easy. I don't think I've liked anything so much as jazz."

I smile at her and the easy companionship she seems so adept at inciting. The mark of any good leader, I am sure. "I have to agree with you. I've grown to be quite fond of the music that's been forming lately."

She cocks her head at me. "If you don't mind my saying so, you seem troubled."

I look at her in surprise. "You are quite perceptive."

She shrugs her fur coat covered shoulder. "I have to be with who I am. It's not easy keeping a pack of wolves in line."

I laugh. "I wouldn't think so. I imagine it's much like keeping a gaggle of children corralled."

"Can't be any worse than keeping a family of vampires in line."

I raise my eyebrow. "You do me too much credit, dear Lana. Vampires are very independent creatures. They don't look to an alpha naturally as a wolf does."

"And yet they seem to subscribe to family loyalty just as fiercely." She pauses and seems to look into my soul. "You worry for the future of your little family."

I ponder for a moment whether or not to trust her with my worries. Rebakah and I have not been as close as we once were. She is no longer my confidant and I am in need of an ear. "I do. Of course I do. They are all very stubborn. None more so than Klaus, although Marcellus could give him a run for his money."

She chuckles at that.

I sigh and look at the swirling liquid in my glass. "Something is brewing on the horizon, Lana. I don't know what it is but I can taste it. I don't know if my family will survive it. I don't know that I will. I fear that something is hunting us and I have a couple of ideas on what or who it could be but I have never been one to dwell on the past. I just have a feeling that the past is about to splinter my entire existence."

She nods in understanding. "You will survive it," she says with confidence.

"And how can you be sure of that?"

She looks at me with what I can only name as wisdom. "Because there is something of a wolf in you. The loyalty. The protective instinct. You are a fighter to the core and I for one am glad to have your ear. You have been very welcoming to my people. If you had wolf's blood I would name you a Crescent in a heartbeat."

I can't help the soft smile that rises on my face. "You do me a great honor, dear Lana."

She smiles in return and grasps my hand on the table. "You once promised that you would lend aid to my pack should we ever be in need. I pledge that my pack will come to your aid, should you ever need it."

I squeeze her hand in return. "Your generosity warms me. Your people are lucky to have you," I say with all sincerity.

She releases my hand and reaches up to unclasp the necklace that she wears before pooling the charm and chain into my palm. "If you find yourself lost or trapped or in need of assistance under dire circumstances, turn the moon full, and my people will come for you."

I finger the crescent shaped moon in my hand and look closely at the inner edge that can turn outward to make a circle. "Is it spelled?" I ask.

She nods. "Yes. Keep it close. Keep it secret. If won't do you much good if it is known to be magic."

I look her in her dark eyes and marvel at the trust and friendship that she somehow managed to gain in me in our handful of interactions in the last several months. "Thank you, Lana. I could never repay such an extraordinary gift."

"It is I that is repaying you. There are no debts between friends. While I am at it I'll throw in some tickets to the opera next week. I know Elijah in particular would enjoy the outing with the arts."

My smile turns mischievous. "Have your eye on the noble brother then?"

She smirks as she gets up to leave. "It can be wise to make deep connections with one's allies. Particularly when they were once enemies." She finishes her drink. "I'll send the tickets 'round to the compound."

A few nights later, Klaus finds me in my own room and enters without so much as a knock. "I need to speak with you."

"I said all I need to say," I remind him.

"But I haven't." He takes a breath. "The part where you said it would be better for them to be in the open where I can keep watch over them, rather than them being weakened by secrets...it would be wise to give my blessing for that reason alone."

I remind myself to breathe. It's not exactly an admission of fault, but it is a step forward. "So Rebekah and Marcel...?"

"May fraternize as they please and with our support. I have been concerned about how long we may last here. But New Orleans is our home. We have been here a long time and I foresee a long future here. Perhaps we can afford a weakness or two with our accumulated power in this city."

"They will be very happy and grateful to you I am sure," I smile.

That evening I sit between Elijah and Klaus as we take drinks in one of the jazz clubs. Marcel and Rebekah enter separately, and yet it is clear to those of us who know them well that they didn't wait for a blessing the way I wanted them to. And yet it doesn't matter now. Klaus will give his blessing.

"Look at these two pretending to be apart while so clearly a pair."

Elijah looks at his brother worryingly. "Niklaus, not now. Why must you cause trouble?

I place my hand on Elijah's arm. "It's okay, Elijah."

Klaus stands with his drink and I stand with mine as well. He gathers the attention of the crowd. "I'd like to take this opportunity to draw attention to two people who have been sneaking around behind my back together."

Marcel and Rebakah both tense with worry as he continues. "As we move into a new era, we require more progressive attitudes to match. So, to my loving sister and my right-hand man and best friend Marcel, may they find joy in each other."

I raise my glass. "Here here." The whole room drinks with us.

Klaus smiles. "Enough talk...Music!" The band starts to play again and he heads toward his sister.

As he speaks to her in low tones I go to Marcel. "All good things to those who wait, my son."

"You did it," he says in disbelief.

I smile and hug him and hesitates briefly before hugging me back. "I told you that I would. All I needed was time." I pull back and smile at him to soothe his obvious apprehension. "I'm sure you'll both be very happy together. Always and forever."

I join Klaus on our way back to the table and Elijah's company. "I think I shocked them," Klaus says with an amused smirk.

"Obviously that was your intention or else you wouldn't have made a spectacle of them in public giving them heart attacks," I say in response.

"Can you blame me? It's so easy to rile them up."

I can't help but roll my eyes. But I smile because it seems as though he is breathing easy. He is…happy I think. He has allowed himself to relax. And so have I.

Yet the ever brewing Destruction grows ever closer.


	14. Chapter 14: Fathers and Sons

**Fear not! Klaus and Julia will get their happy ending eventually. But for the sake of story telling it's not going to be easy. **

**This chapter nearly killed me. Please let me know your thoughts. (I'm sorry but I don't want to be the only one in pain.)**

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My chest tightens as I help Klaus straighten his coat and tie. "Are you sure you don't want to go?" he asks me.

"Lana only had four tickets. Elijah adores the opera and I think it's important Marcel and Rebekah get the chance to be a true couple in public. And I would never dream of not letting you go with your family."

"You like the opera too."

"I do. But there will be other shows." I smile. "Besides. I could use some time to myself for a bit. I've neglected a few things around the compound as of late."

He shakes his head in amusement. "I think perhaps you work too much sometimes."

"Says the man who decided he wanted to be king of the supernatural world," I say as I roll my eyes.

"Easier to keep my family safe that way."

"And tonight you and your family can enjoy that security by going to the opera."

"Yes. Security." He smiles what may well be the softest smile I've ever seen on his face. "We finally found a home. We have roots. Rebakah has found someone to be happy with."

"You made your home here over a century ago. Has it not felt like home in all that time?"

"I didn't want to believe it. But here we are. We're still here. We have built an amazing city. We have a place to go back too. We have people who work well with us. For the first time in a long time I feel as though I could call myself...happy."

"Nik!" We turn to see Rebekah at the door. "We need to get going or we're going to be late."

"I'll be down in a minute," he says before she nods and leaves again. He looks at me. "Thank you."

"You should thank Lana. She's the one that got me the tickets."

His eyes bore into me. "That's not what I mean. We have found a home in New Orleans. And we have found a home in you. So thank you."

My heart stutters and I find myself at a loss for words. It's as close to a declaration of love I think I'll ever get from him and I find myself simultaneously elated and saddened by that fact. I dare not let myself hope for more as this is already more than I could've wished for. "You're welcome," is all I say. "You best hurry now or Rebekah will be back up here to have a fit."

He laughs and leans down to catch my lips with his. I smile. "What's that for?"

He smirks. "Because I can. Because I want to." His brow furrows deep in thought while his eyes seem to study mine.

"Nik!" Rebekah's voice startles us from our little bubble.

He smiles and looks back at me. "There's something I want to talk to you about tonight. I'll see you later," he says with promise and kiss to my hand.

He's gone before I even fully register the entirety of our exchange. I decide it's probably best not to dwell on any of it. I can busy my hands in the kitchen as has become habit in the last hundred years.

Someone pays me a surprise visit not long later. "Lana! What are you doing here?"

"I thought I'd stop in to see my friend. I heard that Klaus granted a public blessing to Marcel and Rebekah."

I nod. "He did."

"That must be a weight off your shoulders."

I laugh. "It is. But I'm sure my shoulders will find a new weight to carry before the day is out."

She hums in agreement. "Mmm. That's always the way of things isn't it? Particularly for women of influence such as us."

I turn toward the back door and am startled by the unfamiliar face. "Oh! Can I help you?"

The man's calculating eyes send shivers down my spine. "I am looking for a Julia Rochelle?"

His velvet voice and familiar accent sends warning bells off in my mind. "That would be me. Is there something I can help you with?"

His responding smile is cold and the foreboding sense of Destruction I've been feeling for awhile hits me full force. "As a matter of fact there is. You see, I am looking for my son. Elijah. Is he home?"

I swallow as the name in my mind burns red. _Mikael. _I've heard enough about sadistic man to know that everything is going to change. And I can only hope we survive it. I gather every ounce of courage in my body. "I believe he's on his way to the opera but I can check upstairs to be sure if you'd like?"

"That would be most helpful."

I try to keep him in my sights as I turn toward my friend. "Lana. If you don't mind a rain check, we can pick this up later? I'm afraid I have company."

She takes my hint for what it is and takes her leave. If I need her I'll send for her. "I'll just be a moment," I say to Mikael before I heading toward the stairs, breathing shallowly. I reach the bottom of the stairs and go for the sword that hangs on the wall.

I blink for a moment and Mikael is at my elbow and grasping my arm preventing from reaching the weapon. "You're not as good at hiding your panic as you think you are, Child."

I remind myself that I have been living with the most powerful vampires in the world for over a century. I can summon the strength to deal with another. "Did you want me to fetch your son or not?"

His lips turn upward in what I assume must be his version of a hard smile. "I believe I can handle things myself. But from what I hear Miss Rochelle, you may be of use to me." Without another word, something hard hits my temple and the world goes black.

The sound of an orchestra pulls at my consciousness. A sharp pain in my hands tug at my attention as the world begins to fade back into focus. I am on my knees, kneeling over a beam to which my hands are nailed. My wounds are desperately trying to heal themselves, but can't due to the obstruction. My legs are stiff and I can tell that they have been broken but have managed to knit themselves back together already.

I force myself to sit up further and my mouth opens in a silent scream and the blinding pain in my body. I grit my teeth and take in my surroundings. My eyes fall on a figure several feet to my left...Lana. A beam through her body, her entire being still and motionless. A face serene as if in sleep, but I know that she is lost. My friend is dead. My eyes drift over my shoulder and my heart shatters when I see Marcel, crucified and bleeding.

A flash of light yanks at my attention and the crimson curtain in front of me begins to rise. The lights directed at the stage blind me but my ears are still clear as the audience of the opera house applauds and fills the room with laughter.

I grit my teeth and focus on my hands. I have to get free. The sooner I'm free, the sooner I'll heal. The sooner I can get to my son. I turn my head and grip the cloth of dress in my teeth before forcefully yanking myself from the beam.

Tears sting my eyes and I can't stop the strangled cry that is torn from my throat.

Klaus appears on stage in a flash of vampire speed and I stare purposely at Marcel as my hands begin to heal and the pain begins to dull.

Klaus is quick to Marcel's side and he reaches for the wooden stakes pinning him to the cross before Mikael appears suddenly to shove him to the side. All the while the entire crowd of people laugh uproariously.

"No!" Rebekah shouts and attempts to intervene only for Mikael to grab a wooden stake and thrust it into her stomach before tossing her aside like she is no more than a rabid dog. Applause thunders across the stage.

I stumble to Rebekah's side as Klaus charges his father again only to be thrown yet again. Mikael's fangs sink into Marcel's neck and I scream.

Elijah appears in a rush and surveys the situation as he helps Klaus to his feet. "There's no helping Marcel. We must run."

Elijah tucks his sister into his arms and Klaus embraces me before they both run from the building at an inhuman speed.

We stop and Klaus puts me down as we all turn back to look at the opera house as angry flames begin to consume it from the inside out. Mikael's voice rings out across the stone streets. "The final act of _Le Grand Guignol_ is upon us! Where are my players? Enough running, children! Step out of the shadows so we can finish this tale of sorrows."

Elijah ushers us down a dark alley and Klaus rips into his wrist to shove blood down his sisters unconscious throat. "He's coming," Elijah states.

"Come on sister," Klaus pleads. Rebekah jolts awake and her first thought is for Marcel.

"He's gone, sister," Elijah says mournfully.

My eyes have not left the sight of the flames before me. "No," I say quietly and firmly.

The screams of the people inside are drowned out only by Rebekah's cries. "No, no!"

"All of you must flee the city. I'll hold him off, Niklaus."

Klaus pulls Rebekah to her feet as Elijah tries to pull me from my trance.

I hear Klaus's strong voice laced with a hint of fear. "No. We fight him together."

"We cannot fight him. All we can do is do what we've always done. We deceive him. We lead him astray. Now, I can do that as well as anyone. You take them far away from here. I'll follow you."

"No, Elijah. You can't. You can't, Elijah." Rebekah cries. "This is just...this is my fault."

"No. This is my fault, Rebekah. I am so sorry. I'm sorry. Marcel…" Klaus's voice breaks. The opera house combusts with flame and distantly I hear the fire brigade beginning to descend. "I thought we'd found a home here."

Elijah grabs my arm and yanks my attention away from the fire. "Julia, Niklaus, please. Sister, come." He takes Rebekah in his arms and kisses her cheek softly. "You must leave. Go."

I look at Klaus and his eyes burn into mine as comprehension dawns on his face. "Marcellus," I whisper. I turn and begin to run back.

"Julia no!" Klaus blocks my path and I reach my hand up toward his face.

"You have to run." He shakes his head and I speak in as firm a tone as I can. "I'll come find you."

I kiss him firmly and drinks me in like a man without water in the desert. I pull myself away and it hurts so much because I can taste it. I can taste that nameless feeling radiating back at me from him. "Run."

"Julia." He reaches for me again but I can hear Rebekah pulling him away as I run headlong into the fray.

My eyes tell me that the fire started in the theater itself so perhaps the best way in would be through the backstage entrance that we fled through minutes before. I skid to a halt as I make it around the corner and see Marcel walking out the door. Before I can run to him, Mikael appears out of the shadows in front of him and I scream, "Marcel!" It destroys my one advantage: surprise.

But it is I who is surprised. Marcel and Mikael flash toward me and Marcel grips me in his arms with a hand over my mouth. Mikael smiles cruelly and looks at the man behind me. "Thank you Marcel Gerard. I couldn't have done it without you. My children had gotten adept at hiding from me. I owe you a great deal."

"This is not what I wanted," my son says with a voice of steel and my eyes widen.

Mikael pockets the white oak stake in his hand and ignores the comment. "The City is yours. Consider it my payment to you for doing me a favor. I have no more need of you." With that Mikael turns and walks away.

Tears well up in my eyes and I remember.

"_My father despised me, even before he knew that I wasn't his son. To him I was weak. A waste of space. A waste of air and resources. I came to loathe myself, not understanding why he hated me so." Klaus's eyes glaze over in painful memories as he explains the inspiration behind his latest dark painting to me. _

"_It seems to me that your father has been threatened by you since the beginning."_

_He looks at me in surprise. "Threatened?"_

_I smile gently. "How can anyone hate something so much if they are not threatened by it? He did not see you as weak. He saw you for the fighter that you are, for the strength that you had, and it made him feel weak just to look at you. How could he feel like he was retaining his strength if he did not make you doubt your own?"_

_He looks back at the painting. "That would be comforting if it were true."_

"_Did I not promise to always tell the truth?"_

_He looks to the ground and smiles grimly. "You did." He looks back at me. "Then I shall choose to believe you."_

_He pauses briefly and then breaks the silence once again as I continue to admire his artwork. "I saw that strength in Marcellus. It's why I named him as I did. It's why I took him in. I saw myself in him...but I do not want him to become like me." I look at him and see the earnestness in his eyes. "I want him to be better." _

"_He will be. Because he has something you didn't." He raises his brow in question and I answer. "A father who is not afraid of the strong man he will become. A father who loves him, and wants him to be better."_

My tears fall.


	15. Chapter 15: Mothers and Sons

**Ladies and gentlemen! I present the final chapter of "A Father's Pride, A Mother's Joy." Please stay tuned for news of the next installment of whatever I'll end up naming this verse. **

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I expect Marcel to release me. I expect him to explain the exchange that was just had. But he does neither. He doesn't release his hold on me until we are back in the compound we call home. He walks with purpose across the study and pours himself a drink, an action I had grown used to seeing from Klaus and not his son.

"Marcellus...what did you do?" I find myself asking.

His face becomes agitated. "What did I do?! I went after what I wanted. I wasn't going to sit back and do nothing while Klaus kept Rebekah and I apart."

My heart breaks a little in that moment as I begin to comprehend that tonight's events were brought about by the man I had raised from ten years old. "So you decided to summon Mikael? Of all people you called for that monster?! I asked you to be patient Marcellus. I asked you to trust in me and you couldn't give me so much as a few weeks?!"

"How was I to know that he would listen?! The last time we tried to convince him of something in regards to Rebekah and I, he left her daggered in a coffin for fifty-two years! I call you mother! Aren't you supposed to be on my side?"

I can't help the anger rising in me. "Of course I am on your side! I fought for you and her. I reasoned with him for days and in the end I succeeded! He gave you his blessing Marcel. How could you betray us by calling for the Destroyer?!" I pause as something occurs to me. "How did you even think to call him in the first place?" The guilt in his eyes, the pain of regret that flashes there, and the set of his mouth lead me to a conclusion. "Rebekah."

He looks at me sharply. "Don't."

The world seems to spin out of control. "You both called him here."

"Don't," he repeats.

"The both of you. Together. Betrayed us all."

His voice becomes low and dangerous. "We betrayed Klaus for the sake of our happiness. It has nothing to do with anything or anyone else."

"It has everything to do with all of us," I say, aghast. "You acted impulsively. How many people died tonight because of your selfishness?!"

He throws his glass against the wall and it shatters like my heart is shattering. "My selfishness?! What of his selfishness?! Why must we all make concessions for him?! When do we put ourselves first for once?!"

"He raised you like a son," I remind him and myself.

"Yet I have never called him father. All he cares about is himself and his power. And now his precious city is mine and his sister will come back for me and we will finally be together."

I shake my head in disbelief at the man before me. "Tell me. Where did I fail you, Marcellus? Where did I go wrong that you would value power over family?"

"You chose to be the Queen. Who chose power?"

"I chose to support my family. Taking on the responsibilities I did was how I was best able to do that." He is blinded by his own perceptions. "I can tell by looking at you that nothing I say is going to make you understand that. Perhaps you are still too young in your hubris." I turn to leave but he blocks my path.

"I am not a child. I haven't been for a long time." His eyes narrow at me. "What do you plan to do now, Mother?" I have never heard him call me that with animosity before and it makes me feel as though I've been staked.

"The only thing I can do, my son. Give you the space and time to realize your mistakes." I move to go past him again but his hand reaches out and grabs my arm.

"You plan to follow after Klaus?"

My eyes narrow at him. "I plan to follow after our family. When you are finished being foolish then you can send me a letter."

My back slams into the wall. "I can't let you do that Julia. One thing I've learned over the decades is that you refuse to lie to Klaus. And I am sorry, but I can't have you endangering Rebekah or me by telling him the truth of Mikael's appearance." He leans down closer to me. "So you will stay here with me, and he can believe us both to be dead and lost."

Any fight has been sucked out of me by the time Marcel locks my bedroom door behind me. I sink to the floor and cry. My sobs are ugly and messy. My throat becomes sore. My whole body shakes and aches until it gives out completely and I succumb to sleep.

Over the coming days I mourn for my son, I mourn for Lana's death, and I mourn for the loss of the family I have grown to love in the last century. I ache for the shortsightedness of Marcel and Rebekah. The happy glow that was beginning to shine from them is now lost and I don't know if it will ever be regained. Elijah's soothing voice and presence had become something of a brotherly comfort over the years. Lana's friendship was still new but her zest for adventure and her cleverness made her an interesting conversationalist.

And Klaus. My throat constricts whenever I think of him. I can't help but dwell on all of the moments I remember him teaching Marcellus to paint, to ride, to live. I remember the worried look on his face as we both sat by Marcellus's side when he was 14 years old and battered by the river. I remember how tenderly he held my hand when Marcellus wrote letters from the war front. That last moment of happiness when he promised there was something he wanted to talk to me about. All of the quiet and soft moments that I saw from him over the years that make my chest tighten and that nameless feeling that shoots through me as I hold my tears at bay.

Somehow I went from fearing Niklaus Mikaelson, to being his friend, to being his lover and somewhere along the way he got under my skin. Somehow, in our shared love for our son, I grew to love him too.

I sit in my window and watch the world below. Without being involved, I know that Marcel is rebuilding the city in his own image, and I don't know how to feel about it. I am disappointed with the means he used to get here and proud that he is such a capable leader.

I hear my bedroom door open and I know that a maid servant is entering with my daily evening meal. I expect her to leave in silence as she has done for the last week, but her voice breaks the silence. "Do you regret it yet?"

The sneer in her voice causes my spine to stiffen. I turn slowly and the woman takes a few steps toward me. I swallow. "Celeste."

The smile that pulls at her lips makes me feel sick. "Good. You remember."

I stand and try to inconspicuously move toward anything I can use to defend myself. Her presence has me unnerved. "Long time no see Celeste. What's it been? A hundred some odd years or so?"

"Thereabouts. But you didn't answer my question yet. Do you regret it yet?"

I raise my chin in defiance. "Never. I could never regret choosing my family."

Her face contorts in anger and a wave of magic reaches out from her and knocks me to my knees. She walks toward me with purpose. "Never say never, Julia. You will regret it. And I couldn't have asked for things to turn out better. Falling into Klaus's bed? Really?"

She laughs. "You're going to make it so much easier to destroy all of you. Now…" she presses the palm of her hand to my forehead and grips my head in her hand as her magic keeps me immobilized on my knees. "You're going to use that third eye of yours to show me when the Mikaelson's will return to the quarter, because they will. And when they do, I will be ready."

She attempts a spell to force a vision from me, but it is not a vision that I have had and it falters before she can begin. Her eyes widen. "Oh!" She smirks. "You can't control it can you?"

I grit my teeth and try with all my might to yank myself from her grasp.

"Now now Julia. It's no use struggling. You may not be able to control your abilities, but I can still drag it out of you."

Her grip becomes tighter and my mind begins to burn like vervain on vampire skin. My mouth opens in a silent scream. Her eyes glaze over as she uses my third eye to see for herself a future that is unknown to me. It feels as though we are trapped that way for an eternity before she releases me with a gasp.

I crumble to the floor as laughter bubbles out of her. "Oh well this is even better than I could have hoped for." She yanks me up from the floor. "Now I can't have you learning to control your little gift and seeing what's in store for the future." Her palm goes back to my forehead and she begins to chant her spell. The pain is so much worse than it was when she was simply using my third eye. Now she is blinding me, gouging it out as blood drips from my nose.

When she's done, she lets me fall to the ground and I am too weak to do anything but groan in pain as I lay there.

"I am going to rip your little family apart, piece by piece. First I am going to destroy Marcel's love for you. Then I will rip Klaus and Rebekah asunder. I will rip out Elijah's hope bit by bit. And then, just when you think there's a shred of hope for you and your lover, I am going to torture you both using the other, until all that is left is pain."

She leaves me writhing on the floor before I can recover enough to respond. By the time I manage to feel human again, night as fallen. I stumble back to my perch at the window. My eyes drift to the sky and the nearly full moon reflecting light down onto the city streets. Of its own accord, my hand reaches up and I finger the crescent charm that Lana had once gifted me.

"_If you find yourself lost or trapped or in need of assistance under dire circumstances, turn the moon full, and my people will come for you."_

I look down at the charm in my hand. I do not know what Celeste has planned. All I know is that I am trapped here, and I can't stay here. I can't stay here and let Celeste destroy my family. But I can't go after Klaus either. I promised him I would always tell him the truth. But telling him of his sister and son's betrayal would do exactly what Celeste wants. It will destroy us all. I have nothing, and no one, and an eternity ahead of me.

Unless...unless I can find a way to beat Celeste at her own game. Unless I can turn it back on her. But to do that means that again, I can't stay here. Marcellus will have a part to play, but he will not know it.

I close my eyes and sigh deeply. I look back at the charm in my hand, and I turn the moon full.

Hours later, chaos erupts at the compound. A handful of members of the Crescent pack enter in a frenzy. My door is knocked off its hinges and one of them enters. His kind eyes find me and reaches a hand out to me. "You called M'lady?"

"It's Julia," I say as he helps me to stand.

"I am Jacque," he responds. "It's good to meet you, although I regret the circumstances." I am escorted down the stairs and we find Marcel is in battle with one of theirs.

"Stop!" I say. Everyone freezes in surprise and looks to me. I raise my head and walk as calmly and smoothly down the stairs and into the courtyard as I can. "No one is to spill any blood tonight."

Marcel's fangs are extended and his eyes shine red. "Mother…" he hisses.

"Son," I say firmly. "You cannot hold me as a prisoner in my own home. You wanted to be king? So be it. You are king. Jacque?"

"M'lady?"

"After you," I say, and we make our way out the door. "Do not follow me Marcellus. You are my son and always will be. I give you my word that I will never allow harm to come to you at my hand. From this day forward, I will be silent in regards to you."

With that, I turn and run with the wolves.

At the edge of the bayou I halt. My eyes turn back to the city I helped to build. "M'lady. We must go!"

I nod and glance back briefly once more. Only then do I think that perhaps this is what Celeste wanted all along, for us to be separated. But I have made my choice and I must live with it. A plan is still forming in my mind, but I will save my family. Until the day comes that the Mikaelson's return, and Marcel begs for forgiveness, I am no longer his mother, and although he will always be my son, he is no longer my joy.


	16. Chapter 16: Author's Note

**UPDATE: For those of you who might not know, the one shot is now up and the sequel is being posted as well. Just thought I'd update this in case anyone missed it. :D Happy reading!**

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**Wow! Thank you so much to everyone who Followed, Favorited, and Reviewed this story. It has been an honor to discover this story with you.**

**As mentioned in a previous author's note before one of the chapters, we have reached the point in the story where we have a natural break for the time being.**

**Fear not!**

**Julia Rochelle's story shall continue in an upcoming sequel - "A Man's Crown, A Woman's Glory."**

**Before I release that however there will be a one shot from Klaus's point of view entitled "In My Memory, Her Joy Blinds Me."**

**I am also considering a few other one shot ideas that may have to do with the verse but nothing is flushed out yet. If any of you have any requests, I will be happy to see if I can incorporate it into the little verse that is starting to build in my head.**

**Thank you again for sticking through this with me!**

**Now since I don't really want to post a chapter that is nothing but an author's note, below will be a teaser for the one shot from Klaus's point of view.**

**Happy reading! *smirk***

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_In my memory, I hear her screaming_

_And helplessly I ran. _

_In my memory, she is crying_

_I do the only thing I can. _

_In my memory she is bleeding_

_And so I hold her hand. _

_In my memory she can see me_

_I smile while me dance. _

_In my memory she speaks softly_

_Today it tastes like sand._

_In my memory her joy blinds me_

_To love her was not my plan._


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